


Wish I Could Be

by profound-boning (farawaystardust)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, Creature Castiel (Supernatural), Destiel Reverse Bang 2019, Dog Owner Sam Winchester, Falling In Love, Human Dean Winchester, Inspired by Art, King Michael, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, Merman Castiel, Minor Characters are sea creatures, Mute Castiel (Supernatural), Prince Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-29 13:12:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19401016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farawaystardust/pseuds/profound-boning
Summary: Up where they walkUp where they runUp where they stay all day in the sunWanderin' freeWish I could bePart of that world





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SO much to everyone who helped this piece become the monster that it is :') My amazing artist Paige was so excited that I wanted to do a Little Mermaid AU! She's been amazing and I hope everyone leaves endless praise on her work [here on tumblr](https://turnthepaige90.tumblr.com/post/185922379757/). My betas, fangirlingtodeath513 and madcatm were absolutely FANTASTIC and really came in clutch. I cannot thank them enough! I hope you enjoy reading the story.

Samandriel’s face appears in a round window. Castiel gasps, startled, only to dissolve into laughter when he realizes that it was just his friend attempting to scare him from the outside of the ship.

The pair continue through the vessel; the large wooden hull must have originally been quite expansive when this ship sailed. Now, it rests on the ocean floor. Only half of a _sail_ remains and only one of the _masts._ Castiel and Samandriel have ventured into every room and searched every nook and cranny looking for treasures. So far, they have some silver disks no bigger than Samandriel’s fin, a clay pot, a dagger, and a couple of other strange objects Castiel can’t name. At least Castiel can carry all of their discoveries this time, not like that shipwreck where there was a large marble statue of a human’s interpretation of a mermaid on board. They’d liked it immediately and wanted to bring it to the grotto but they didn’t know how to transport it. Luckily, Gabriel had given them the idea to have it dragged by some friendly dolphins he knew.

As they continue toward their meeting spot, Castiel and Samandriel have no idea that they’re being watched, until the shark whips around a corner. They have to flee, tails moving quickly through the water as they make their escape. Both of them are far smaller than the shark, and they use it to their advantage by swimming through the more narrow passages in the sunken ship. Finally, Castiel is able to reach out and slam a door to what had been a bedroom shut right in the shark’s face. They listen as the predator reels back in shock before he turns around and leaves, probably deciding that they aren’t worth the effort.

Castiel and Samandriel smile at each other, panting for breath with adrenaline coursing through them. They agree to wait a few more minutes and make sure the shark is gone before they leave, having to cross several miles of open ocean to reach their next destination.

As Gabriel’s island comes into view, Castiel and Samandriel race through the water, careful not to lose their discoveries. They breach the surface laughing and teasing.

“I thought we were doomed, Castiel! I was worried you couldn’t outswim that hulking shark,” Samandriel laughs.

“Nonsense,” Castiel replies, placing the items in his arms on the red and white ledge of Gabriel’s tower before helping Samandriel with his. “It was all part of my plan. Their noses are very sensitive. I knew if I timed it just right we would be safe.”

“Idiots, the both of you,” Gabriel huffs. His feathers twitch with the movement, his wings flapping lightly against his back. “You ought to know better than to go to a wreck with shark activity.”

“Okay, well,” Castiel reasons, “we didn’t know the shark was there. We were definitely there first. And look at all the things we found!” He admires their new trophies and Gabriel peers down at the spread.

“These are impressive,” he admits. “That one there goes with your dinglehopper, Cassie.”

“This?” Castiel picks up the slender metal object. It’s smooth with a flattened circle on one end. He realizes that Gabriel is right because the dinglehopper is of the same design, simply with prongs instead of the flattened circle. “What’s it called, then?”

“A spoon.” Gabriel smiles smugly at him. “They gave this one a shorter name, I don’t know why. But it also refers to some of the _canoodling_ they like to do on the beaches.”

_“Canoodling?”_

“Yes, Cassie! Don’t you see? If you had _two_ of these spoons, you could line them up just so. It’s how the human folk like to hold each other. The ones who love each other, anyway.” Gabriel squints at the distant shore, as if deep in thought. “And the ones without tiny spawn, you know. Those seem to get in the way of the canoodling.”

Samandriel laughs but Castiel is suddenly filled with dread. When Gabriel said _spawn,_ he was referring to children. Children who sometimes have obligations to their parents, like he does. Like he did this morning, more accurately.

“Oh _no,”_ he cries, turning tail immediately. With a splash, he leaves Gabriel’s floating and colorful island behind him and swims straight for home.

His father is going to kill him for missing the big concert. He has to go home immediately and apologize.

Castiel is so worried about it and in such a rush that he doesn’t notice the two pairs of eyes watching him, and then watching Samandriel follow after him, a little satchel tied around his body by Gabriel to hold their spoon and other new trinkets.

When he reaches the palace, Castiel doesn’t have to search for long in order to locate his father. King Michael is pacing in the main courtyard, gesturing wildly at the concert hall, at the towers where their bedrooms are located, and at the small crab sitting on a ledge in front of him.

“And you didn’t find him anywhere?” Michael is saying. Bellowing, really, as his anger simmers.

“No, sir, none of the places I’ve searched. It seems that he’s not at the palace at all.” Balthazar has been in charge of Castiel and his brothers for as long as they’ve been alive. He knows all of their schedules and supervises all of their activity as much as possible. Being the youngest, Castiel has enjoyed a certain lack of attention and has instead done his best to ditch his chaperone at every turn. Now, though, Balthazar looks just as frustrated as his father does. That’s never a good sign.

“Father,” Castiel pants slightly as he approaches them. “Balthazar.”

“Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour!” Balthazar crosses his arms and glowers at him. “Just where have you been? You’ve made your father very upset.”

“I can see that,” Castiel says quietly. “Father, I—”

“Don’t. Speak.” Michael is fuming. One hand covers his mouth, the other rest on his hip as he looks at Castiel. His eyes, so much like the ones Castiel sees in the mirror, are angry. “You knew you had an obligation this morning. And instead you— you run off again. Answer Balthazar’s question.”

“I—”

_“Now.”_

“It’s— I—.” Castiel bites his lip. He tries and fails to think of a good cover story.

Suddenly, Samandriel appears in the courtyard as well. He’s out of breath, having to swim very hard to try and keep up with Castiel, being just a small angelfish.

“Mister Michael, sir, Mister Balthazar! Don’t be mad at Castiel! It was all my fault,” he says. The little bag tied around his body clinks noticeably.

“Is that so, Samandriel?” Balthazar rolls his eyes.

“Yes, I dragged him out to see this cool shipwreck! I thought it was, um, cool. Lots of things to look at. So…” Samandriel flounders a bit.

“And are _those,”_ Balthazar points to the bag, “some of the so-called ‘cool things?’”

“Oh yes!” Samandriel cries. With a smile, he pulls out the spoon and announces, “this delightful object is called a _spoon._ The humans use it for _canoodling.”_ Castiel resists the urge to put his face in his hands.

“You went to Gabriel’s?” Michael says. “That stupid buoy in the middle of the—? _Castiel,_ we have talked about this a hundred times. You cannot go to the surface so close to the shore. The humans can easily see you when you are there.”

“Father, we didn’t—”

“Be silent,” Michael demands. “I have been extremely patient with your— with your— little fascination. But it ends here, son. You cannot get that close to a dangerous enemy and you need to stop wasting your time. This is absurd.”

“I think it’s absurd that you’re so worried about the humans,” Castiel protests. “I haven’t seen any reason to believe they’re as dangerous as you say, they’re _fine.”_

“You have no idea what you’re talking about and you would do well to listen to your father,” Balthazar chimes in.

“I am not a child and I can take care of myself,” Castiel insists.

“Well, you are certainly behaving like one,” Michael argues, “you’re shirking your responsibilities and disrespecting your family.”

“That isn’t true,” Castiel pleads. “I just don’t think the humans are bad, Father.”

“You don’t need to think, you need to stop disobeying me and putting yourself in danger. Leave now so I can discuss an appropriate punishment with Balthazar.”

When his father dismisses him, Castiel leaves the courtyard hurriedly, wiping tears from his face. Samandriel follows him without hesitation.

Castiel swims the well-known path to his favorite place. His secret, sacred space where he doesn’t have to answer to his father and pretend to be the perfect son. He’d been doing a good job these past few weeks, not mentioning the human world at all, not missing any of his father’s many chores for him on top of his royal duties. Of all the days to make a mistake, he forgot about the winter music concert. His brothers will be waiting at home to tease him, to mock his love for the human world.

“It isn’t dangerous,” he mutters, slipping into his grotto. “They aren’t bad, the humans.”

“I know,” Samandriel replies in a low voice. He looks apologetic, shrugging the incriminating bag off of his shoulder.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Samandriel.” Castiel sighs, retrieving their treasures and moving around to their various shelves, carefully considering where he’ll place each of his new discoveries. The _spoon_ next to the _dinglehopper,_ for starters.

They aren’t alone for long before Balthazar enters the grotto. Castiel nearly drops one of the new clay bowls they found in shock.

“Balthazar? What are you doing here?” he asks. “How did you find us?”

“I simply followed the sounds of a disobedient and angsty young merman.” Balthazar sniffs, looking around the space with an undisguised look of detestation on his face. “Is this where you’re always running off to?”

Castiel looks at Samandriel and they shrug. This is practically their home away from home, the place where they store their items from the human world and can talk about it freely, not having to worry about King Michael’s disapproval.

Just when Balthazar is about to open his mouth again, just when Castiel is sure that his father is about to find out about his safe and happy place, a shadow falls over them. The trio look up, astonished that something so large has come along on the surface of the ocean that it has cast a shadow over them. Without a moment to lose, Castiel and Samandriel go racing out of the grotto and toward the humongous…something!

They slow down right before they arrive, not wanting to put themselves in danger, despite what Castiel’s father thinks. Balthazar is right behind them when they peer above the surface of the water. The object turns out to be a ship drifting slowly over their area.

Castiel watches in awe as bright lights shoot up from the deck and explode into dazzling stars in the air. The pops and whistles seem scary at first but the humans cheer as each one bursts, leading Castiel to believe this is a celebration of some kind.

Samandriel gasps excitedly while Balthazar looks torn between appreciation and scorn for the human’s entertainment. Castiel propels himself closer with a flick of his powerful tail, pressing his hands to the ship’s hull and peering straight up, keeping his tail underneath him and out of sight. He listens as the human sing to each other. Soon, he realizes they are all singing one coordinated song. The melody and the words are different from their own but it’s clearly a song to celebrate a particular human’s birthday. He spots a hole in the railing wide enough to look through and moves over to see.

Castiel observes a pair of human men standing in front of the group. There’s an animal next to them of a similar nature to one he’s seen before when observing the human beaches with Gabriel and Samandriel. If his memory serves, it’s a _dog._ The crowd finishes their song and claps and cheers again. The taller of the two men at the front has his arm thrown around the other’s shoulders and is shaking him good-naturedly as the crowd quiets.

“You’re going to love your gift,” he explains, grinning from ear to ear. That second man must be the one celebrating his birthday, then, Castiel surmises. He’s quite handsome, this human; broad-shouldered with a beautiful smile. He’s blushing a bit, which gives Castiel an appreciation for his fair skin; Castiel and his brothers are all tan with their father’s dark hair. Castiel’s is a bit long, curling around his ears, but the human’s is lighter, almost blonde, and cut short.

The crowd of humans is cheering, whooping, and hollering madly. They seem to be teasing and mocking the birthday boy. Castiel cranes his neck to get a glimpse at what has changed. Then, he spots it and has to hold back a laugh himself.

It’s an enormous statue in the likeness of the man he’d been admiring. One of his feet is propped up slightly on a rock, emphasizing a bow-legged stance. Castiel thinks back to Gabriel’s lessons on human fashion as he looks at the statue. The shirt is cut open to display the man’s chest in a way Castiel finds slightly comical. Its face appears stern though its lips are slightly pouted. It doesn’t look _ugly_ but it doesn’t really look like the jovial man Castiel can see on the deck of the ship. The man who currently has his face buried in his hands, clearly embarrassed. The _dog_ circles the statue, making noises again.

“Sam!” he whines. “What in the world were you thinking?”

The tall man from before, who must be named Sam, is laughing so hard he’s bent over at the waist. His hands grip his knees as he guffaws, long brown hair covering his face. Castiel smiles to himself at seeing their mirth— it’s obvious now that the two are brothers.

“It was Bobby,” Sam finally manages, gasping for air. “All Bobby’s idea.”

The other man groans out loud, lowering his hands away from his red face, glaring at the crowd who continue to laugh. A much older man steps forward, his beard trimmed neatly and a fisherman’s hat on his head despite the twilight hour.

Castiel hears him say, “wasn’t supposed to be for your birthday, you idjit. Wanted it to be your wedding present, you know.” Bobby claps the blonde man on the shoulder, earning an eye roll.

“Come on now, you know I’ll find them when it’s time,” he explains. “I’m not just going to settle for the first pretty face I see. When I find the right person, I’ll know. It’ll hit me like lightning.”

Castiel’s heart flutters in his chest to hear the man speak so passionately about his future love. He’s always harbored a similar desire, to fall completely in love with another person and for them to love him in return. He, too, believes that true love will strike him when the time is just right.

Unfortunately, it would seem that the birthday celebration might be coming to an end. A storm has quickly come in over the water. The wind is picking up and bringing storm clouds their way, and Castiel feels a pull in his gut that says it’s going to get worse. He glances over his shoulder to where Samandriel and Balthazar are still lingering. He’s about to push away from the ship and return to them when, suddenly, a bolt of lightning splits the air. The thunder rolls in not a second later, roaring all around them. The water turns choppy and dangerous for the human’s ship.

The humans appear to be caught very much off-guard. Even though many of them must be capable seamen, the speed with which the storm descended on them hinders them as they work to get the ship sailing back to shore. They’re far out in the bay, anchored and celebrating, not prepared to set sail in these conditions. Castiel bites his lip, hesitating. But what can he possibly do? The waves are getting worse and worse.

All of a sudden, lightning strikes again. He has to shield his eyes, so Castiel can’t be sure where it landed but when he looks again the ship’s deck is in ruins, one of the sails is on fire, and it’s chaos everywhere, now. He’s seen these fires on the human beaches, but this is far more dangerous and destructive. Gabriel had warned him that it could be. Castiel watches the humans lower smaller ships— _row boats,_ he remembers— into the water hastily, men jumping into the water and hoisting each other into the small boats.

Castiel ducks away from where they might see but he keeps a close eye on them. He watches as every man, including the brothers and their older friend Bobby get in the last of the boats, leaving everything else behind. They’re just a short ways away when Sam, the long-haired brother, shouts “Riot!” in a desperate voice.

Castiel’s heart clenches, turning his eyes up to the deck. The hairy _dog_ creature paces the deck making loud crying noises. It’s too high for the animal to be willing to jump, no matter how much Sam calls to it. Bobby is holding Sam by the shoulders and speaking to him, so he doesn’t notice the second brother until it’s too late.

The brother dives into the water and swims quickly to the ship. Castiel watches from a short distance away as he climbs up the side of it and pulls himself onto the deck. Even though he’s sopping wet, the heat of the deck must be overwhelming. He dodges falling debris in order to get to the animal, picking it up and running back to the side.

As he does this, Castiel hears an ominous _snap_ and the _dog_ suddenly is flying over the railing into the water. Sam is close enough to pull the struggling creature toward himself as Bobby shouts at the man on the deck. _“Dean!”_

The man, Dean, yells back to them, “I’m stuck, my foot went through the deck. Just— hold on—”

Castiel holds his breath, helpless to be of assistance. He watches _Dean_ try and free himself before—

An explosion like nothing Castiel has ever witnessed shakes the very air around them. The beautiful lights the humans had used earlier for entertainment now pose a huge problem, whizzing and bursting in the fire. The railing where Dean had been standing is gone, the whole middle section of the ship blown away. The crowd of humans and Castiel all gasp in fear.

But only Castiel is able to act. He dives below the surface, eyes sharp for a human figure. It doesn’t take long, the fire from above casting orange light into the water. He grabs hold of Dean, one arm around his stomach and his other hand clutching his shoulder. Castiel swims for the surface, knowing Dean won’t be able to breathe under the water. The man appears to be unconscious and Castiel hopes that it isn’t too late to save him.

When he surfaces, they’re on the other side of the flaming wreckage. Castiel knows he can’t simply go over to the other humans with Dean’s body, he’d be spotted immediately. He’ll have to take Dean directly to the shore and wait for Dean to be rescued there, where he can hide.

Even with his exceptional swimming abilities, it still takes several hours to reach the nearest human shore. Castiel can’t even be sure this is the one where Dean lives. He can only hope that any human civilization will be a good place for Dean to get help. He never wakes, limp in Castiel’s embrace and barely breathing. Castiel keeps an eye on the rise and fall of his chest and he prays to every spirit he can think of for a miracle. He worries about Samandriel and Balthazar and he hopes they swam for home as soon as the weather turned.

Finally, as the morning sun is making her appearance over the edge of the water, they come to a stretch of sandy beach. Castiel has to drag both of their bodies up and away from the waves, lying Dean on his back on the mostly-dry sand. Castiel leans over him, his tail a stark midnight blue against the shore and Dean’s pale legs, boots seemingly lost to the storm. _Legs,_ up close! Castiel is fascinated by them. They’re bony in the middle, like his fingers are, and the _feet!_ Dean’s have small brown spots on them, barely the size of a single grain of sand. These spots are also present on his exposed forearms and on his neck and face. His features are relaxed and soft; Castiel thinks he’s absolutely beautiful.

The longer Castiel looks at Dean, the harder and faster his heart beats inside his chest. Something he doesn’t quite recognize is unfurling inside of him, growing as he beholds this precious human. This man who returned to a burning ship to save an animal, such a selfless, brave action could only be done by a good man. A righteous man.

He leans down, pressing one ear to the center of Dean’s chest. He is gratified to hear a steady _lub dub_ from within, signaling that Dean is going to be okay.

“You’re safe now,” he murmurs, resting his cheek against the wet clothing, the skin beneath it still warm.

From this position, Castiel feels rather than hears the change in Dean’s breathing, a sharp inhale breaking the smooth pattern. He startles and jerks back, eyes wide. Dean’s face is scrunched up, his eyes squeezed shut. His hands move from the hot sand to his torso and up to his face.

“Wher’m I?” he mutters and Castiel has to bite his lip. He should turn around and leave immediately, he knows, but—

Dean opens his eyes briefly, the bright light of the rising sun clearly surprising him. He groans and presses his fingers to his eyelids. “Hello?” he says. “Is someone there?”

Castiel opens his mouth but no words come to him. Should he say something? Should Castiel leave now before this gets worse? Should he try to alert some other humans that Dean is nearby?

His questions are answered when a familiar creature appears just down the beach. It looks in their direction and begins running toward them. Recognizing the _dog_ at once, Castiel heaves himself back to the water and lets the tide carry him out and away. It sniffs after him briefly before turning its attention to Dean, who moves one hand from his eyes to touch its hair. It snuffles him and lets out a sharp noise. Soon, the other humans round the same bend and hurry toward where Dean is still lying in the sand.

“Dean!” Sam shouts from the front of the group. He reaches Dean first, skidding on his knees to get a closer look at his brother.

“Sammy?” Dean lifts his head, squinting hard. “That you?”

“Yeah, Dean, hey.” Sam sounds very relieved and Castiel is happy for them. “We were so worried about you.”

“Your Highness,” Bobby asks, “are you all right?”

_Your Highness?_

“I— I’m fine. Where— Where’s my rescuer though?”

“Your what?” Sam and the others look confused.

“Yes, the man who was just sitting with me a moment ago. He must have saved me.”

Bobby looks around briefly, the rest of the crew just shrugs at him, however. “There’s no one here but us. Riot led us straight to you, but you were alone.”

“I wasn’t,” Dean protests. He looks to where Castiel had been lying right next to him. Castiel feels as though his throat is being constricted, his blood pumping loudly with nerves. “I— I know there was… He was here, Bobby.”

“All right, son.” Bobby nods at Sam and together they help Dean stand. On his _legs._ Seeing them up close has given Castiel a whole new appreciation for the human appendages. “Can you walk back to the palace? Your parents are worried sick.”

“Think I’ve got a sore rib,” Dean says, pressing one hand to his side. “Bit of a headache but not too bad. Bobby, you’re _sure_ you didn’t see anyone, like, helping me get to shore?”

“We didn’t see anyone,” Sam replies, “but it was dark and the storm was intense. Crazy how fast it swept in.” He continues to talk, guiding Dean to walk with him down the beach, away from where Castiel has been observing them from behind a large rock formation. Dean looks back at where they’d been lying on the sand, then out to the water. He peers at the shore and the rocks in the shallows. Dean is smart, he knows the chances his unconscious body could have made it through this area and to the shore without any problems or greater injury were slim. Castiel wonders what sorts of explanations Dean and the others might come up with in lieu of the truth. He wishes now more desperately than ever that he could join them, that he could freely live among the humans.

His train of thought is interrupted by Balthazar’s sudden reappearance. He and Samandriel pop up from behind Castiel, clearly having been waiting for the humans to move away and out of sight.

“Castiel!” Balthazar shrieks. Despite the scare, Castiel is very relieved to see that they’re both okay. “You absolute fool! What were you thinking? You could have died! You could have been seen? What—?”

“I had to save him.” Castiel looks back to where Dean and the others disappeared. “Did you know he’s royalty? They called him _Your Highness.”_

“They can call him Mister Hot Cheeks McGee for all I care,” Balthazar seethes. “That doesn’t mean you get to go running off in a freak storm and risk getting caught by those humans!”

“We were worried,” Samandriel adds. He touches Castiel’s hand with one fin and Castiel smiles at him.

“The good news is that I’m fine,” he points out. “I am very sorry to have caused you to worry. But I’m fine, and now, so is Dean.”

Balthazar scoffs, still angry. “If your father ever finds out that this happened on my watch, we’re all whale chow, so don’t ever mention this again.”

Castiel laughs at the threat, but he knows with certainty he won’t be mentioning this to his father either. Even as they head for home, he allows Balthazar to direct the conversation firmly into aquatic territory, far away from Castiel’s desires in the human world.

They’re so focused, in fact, that all of them fail to notice twin eels watching them from afar.


	2. Chapter 2

A week passes with Dean relentlessly occupying Castiel’s thoughts. Practically every waking moment, Castiel is reflecting on his interactions with the lovely human man. He replays all of the conversations he overheard, analyzes what he had seen, and feels deep regret at rushing away so quickly.

Surely, Dean would have been receptive to meeting him? The man had seemed so intent on learning who it was that saved him. _Castiel_ did that. He should have been there when Dean fully awoke, should have spoken to him.

The fact that he knows Dean’s name and that he’s royalty while Dean didn’t even really get a good look at him makes him a bit sad. He can hope, of course, that Dean would have been accepting, but he also could have become scared or angry. It causes a bit of an ache in his chest that Castiel doesn’t know how to explain.

He wonders about Dean’s family and about what human royal families are like. Perhaps he and Dean would have something in common. It’s foolish to imagine, but it’s a frequent daydream for Castiel.

Michael tries to speak with Castiel about it; apparently, he isn’t doing a good job of hiding the way his thoughts are occupied elsewhere, because his father believes he’s fallen in love with someone. It’s an embarrassing conversation to have to escape from…and it leads to Castiel spending even _more_ time distracted from his lessons and duties to their kingdom.

Is he _in love_ with Dean? He hasn’t been in love before, so it’s certainly possible he just doesn’t fully understand his emotions. On the other hand, people need more time in order to fall in love with someone, don’t they? People need to spend time together, learn about one another, that’s when love happens. Castiel doesn’t really know Dean very well at all, and Dean knows even less about him.

And yet, thinking about Dean never fails to make Castiel’s heart beat faster in his chest.

He resolves himself to acknowledge that, yes, Dean is very aesthetically appealing and, yes, he would really like to spend time with him. It’s a _crush,_ according to Gabriel. When humans are happy with one other person in particular, right before the _love_ part. He can live with a crush.

One day, he is feeling particularly distracted by thoughts of the human world. All of the new experiences he could have, the mystery of it all, everything about it appeals to him. He longs to visit, but he can’t really be away from the ocean for long. Could he, perhaps, stick to the shore? Is it possible to explore the human’s beaches and simply return to the water as needed?

The idea of it consumes him. So much so that, eventually, he confides in Samandriel, hoping to get his advice and support.

“I don’t know,” his best friend mutters. “I’m pretty sure that _I_ wouldn't be able to do that. Maybe because you’re a merman you could, though?” Castiel nods happily. “Wouldn’t it be dangerous? Aren’t you frightened?”

“No,” Castiel replies, “I’m too excited to be afraid. And I can go on a day that Dean is there, and finally have a chance to speak to him.”

“That would be great!” Samandriel agrees, flapping his fins. “Actually, that reminds me of something I’ve been meaning to show you. Follow me.” They take off and Castiel realizes quickly that they’re heading to the grotto.

When they arrive, Samandriel instructs him to close his eyes before entering. Castiel humors him and swims carefully through the entrance.

“Okay, stop here,” Samandriel says. Castiel remains still, waiting. After a moment, he speaks up again. “You can open your eyes now.”

When he does, Castiel immediately sees _Dean._

It isn’t really Dean, of course, but it’s the beautiful statue that Castiel had seen on Dean’s ship on the night of his birthday party.

“Oh, Samandriel, thank you! Thank you so much!” Castiel exclaims. “This is amazing. How did you manage to get it here?”

Samandriel beams at him. “Well, a couple of my anemone friends were complaining about the huge rock that fell into their neighborhood. I asked some more questions and once I found out it was Dean’s statue, I recruited help from some of my dolphin friends and we fashioned a little boat of sorts to tug it along until we made it here. I’m so glad that you like it.”

“I love it,” Castiel breathes, hugging Samandriel tightly. “Thank you.” He propels himself closer, admiring every feature. In the statue, Dean is standing with one foot raised on a small platform and his hands on his hips. The pose makes him look very important. Castiel doesn’t know the word for the type of _shoes_ Dean is wearing, they look different than the _flippy floppies_ that Gabriel says humans are wearing at the beach. The material of the shoes extends halfway up his leg. Legs, again! They’re incredible to look at and they appear to be very muscular. His shirt also looks very nice, and it has the effect of making Dean’s shoulders look broad and strong. Dean’s face is as perfect as ever when carved in stone, although Castiel does wish he was able to see the spots he knows exist on Dean’s nose and cheeks. His expression is somewhat serious, and Castiel briefly wishes to see a genuine smile. He wonders what color Dean’s eyes are.

“Castiel, you’re here!” Balthazar’s voice startles Castiel out of his trance. “We were worried that you had gone to the surface.”

“What? Father?” Castiel is surprised to see the pair of them at the entrance to the grotto. Michael knew about the grotto, of course, but he had never come inside, preferring to allow Castiel his privacy. Today, however, he is within an arm’s length of his shelf displaying a few _cups_ and an instrument for _writing_ that Gabriel called a _pen-sill._

Michael looks around with a look of disdain before saying, “Balthazar told me you’re planning to visit the human world.”

Castiel feels a spark of anger. “That— that would be ill-advised. We can’t leave the water for too long.”

“That is true.” Michael nods. “It was just something he overheard. There’s a specific human you wish to meet, he says. How did you even meet this man in the first place?”

“I rescued him,” Castiel admits.

“What?” Michael had been calm and curious before, but now reacts in anger. “How could you do such a thing?”

“He was drowning, I had to do something.” Castiel points at the crab. “Balthazar was there and he knows that is true.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Michael insists, dismissing Balthazar’s agreement. “Nothing is worth the risk of being seen by a human.”

Castiel shakes his head, backing away. “No, no you’re wrong, father.”

Michael opens his mouth to respond but something stops him. His eyes are fixed on something just over Castiel’s shoulder. He realizes belatedly he’d backed into the statue of Dean, right in the middle of his grotto.

“And _what_ is the meaning of _this?”_ Michael is fuming now.

“It’s a statue that we found. Isn’t it impressive?” Castiel tries to avoid upsetting his father but it’s no use.

“No, I don’t think so,” Michael sneers. “Is this what you’ve been pining for? All this time I thought you had eyes for one of _us,_ only to find it’s one of _them.”_

“It’s not like that, father, I hardly know him,” Castiel protests. “He’s the man I saved.”

“And so you hold on to this ridiculous statue? For what purpose?”

“Father, it’s just a statue,” Castiel says placatingly.

“No, this has gone on long enough, Castiel.” Michael paces angrily. “I indulged you, I let you have your interests, but I never thought it would come to this. Rescuing a human? Wanting to go to the shore? Are you out of your mind? I should have squashed this long ago.”

“I’m not going to get hurt, I can take care of myself.”

“You are a child!” Michael roars. “You don’t understand.”

“No, Father, _you’re_ the one who doesn’t understand.” Tears threaten to spill over his cheeks, he hates how it always happens when he’s angry. “What am I doing wrong? I think the humans are interesting, that’s all. And I saved him because it was the right thing to do.”

“I don’t care what you think the right thing to do is, because the humans are _dangerous,”_ Michael insists. He’s frowning deeply and clutching his trident so tightly his knuckles are white. “You will not have any further interactions with them. Going to the surface at all is now forbidden. You will have a chaperone at all times. I don’t even want to hear you talking about this anymore. It stops here.”

“You won’t be able to stop me,” Castiel threatens. “I’ll leave. If you can’t let me live my own life, then I’ll leave.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Michael replies. “You have nowhere else to go.” 

“I’d go to the human world first. I wish I could live anywhere but here!” Castiel shouts.

The silence that follows is terrible and fraught. Michael seethes, glaring at Castiel, who glares right back. Balthazar and Samandriel wait helplessly nearby, nervously observing the family argument.

“If this is what it’s come to,” Michael begins, his voice tense with quiet anger, “then so be it. You won’t stop this? Fine. Then I will.”

In one swift movement, Michael swings his trident around to the first large object he can see in the grotto: Dean’s statue, painstakingly retrieved and cared for since it went overboard. Now, with a blast of light, it is nothing but dust. Castiel lets out a cry as if he himself was wounded, but Michael doesn’t stop there. He fires again and again, aiming at the shelves and the pedestals around the grotto where Castiel’s and Samandriel’s various human treasures are being displayed.

Or rather, where they _were_ being displayed. With every snap of Michael’s power, another cherished objected is obliterated. Castiel feels another piece of his heart break apart with every blow. His tears flow freely now, with the raging anger inside him.

Castiel’s cries seem to snap Michael out of his own anger, who turns and beholds his son. He sees a broken young man, a furious little boy, and he seems to immediately regret his anger. But Castiel didn’t deserve to have his personal possessions destroyed like this and he doesn’t want to hear his father’s apologies.

“Son…” Michael tries.

Castiel scoffs and he shoves at the trident, shoves his father away from him. His heart left shattered on the sandy ocean floor, he flees the grotto as fast as he can. His tears are blinding but he doesn’t care, doesn’t pay attention to where he’s going. He simply has to get away. His family cannot and will not understand him or let him be who he is. He longs now more than ever to go to the surface, to live among the humans. Somewhere without these restrictions and biases.

Eventually, he comes to a reef. Castiel sniffles, looking around for a safe place to lie down without harming the coral and other sea life. When he settles, he puts his face in his arms and he weeps some more. All of his frustration leaking out of him, leaving him tired and sad.

It’s not long before he discovers that he isn’t alone.

“Hey there, little unicorn. Why the long face?”

Castiel lifts his face at the unfamiliar voice. “Who’s there?”

“Just two neighbors passing by at the right time,” says one of the eels nearby. Her twin had spoken first, the dark-colored one nearer to Castiel. The other is a pale yellow, though they have the same dark eyes and serene smiles. “You look very upset.”

Castiel nods glumly. He’s upset, absolutely irate that his father could be so heartless as to destroy his grotto. But, deep down, Castiel feels incredibly sad. He doesn’t know how to go on or what to do now that his father’s made it so perfectly clear that he doesn’t belong with the merfolk.

“You’re a wonderfully unique merman,” says the first of the eel sisters to speak, the one who called him a unicorn. “We hate to see you so unhappy.”

“Not unhappy,” he protests, “just really sad about how a…conversation and…” He hesitates but, really, they’re just two harmless eels. “My father and I don’t see eye to eye, but it’s never been this frustrating before.”

The yellow eel nods at him. “He doesn’t understand you.”

“I bet he didn’t even really hear you out,” says the other.

“Well—”

“It’s not fair for him to control the things that you like. Where’s the harm? You’re not doing anything wrong.”

“That’s tr—”

“He shouldn’t be so narrow minded.”

“So strict.”

“It must be very frustrating for you.” The dark-colored one comes closer and brushes his arm gently. Castiel smiles and wipes a tear from his cheek. “We’re sorry. Our names are Meg and Ruby, by the way.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Castiel,” he introduces himself.

“You know, if you were looking for a solution, maybe, we happen to know someone who could help?” Ruby chimes in.

Castiel’s confusion must show on his face, because Meg continues, “we only mean that if you wanted to visit the human’s world and to really be among them, we know someone who can help.”

“How did you know that?” he asks them.

“We’ve met many merfolk over the years who’ve wanted to go up there.” Ruby gestures upward. “We always offer the sorcerer’s assistance because, well, it’s awful to be stuck somewhere you don’t want to be. It’s hard to go on like everything’s normal when you just want to go to another place, even just for a brief visit.”

Castiel nods in agreement, knowing that feeling so very well. He just wants to look around, to be a part of the human world, if only for a little while. And he could do it with their friend’s help.

“I guess it was fate that you were nearby, then,” he says, smiling broadly. “When can I go with you to meet this sorcerer?”

“Oh, little unicorn.” Meg smiles back at him. “We could go right this minute. He always has time to lend a helping hand.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Castiel follows them. After all, they’ve been nothing but friendly.

Just as they’re setting out toward the southeast, Castiel hears a small commotion.

“Castiel! Your Highness!” Balthazar is rushing in his direction, tailed by Samandriel. The two look exhausted. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. Thank goodness you’re all right!”

“I am,” Castiel replies somewhat coldly. He greets Samandriel with a hug but he can’t look at Balthazar. The hurt is too fresh.

Balthazar notices immediately. “Castiel, I’m truly sorry about all of that. I had overheard the first part of your conversation with Samandriel here and I was worried about you. It’s best to involve your father if I’m concerned for yours or any of your brothers’ safety. I didn’t think he’d be so unreasonable in his anger.” Castiel nods at his apology.

“I’m so sorry about your grotto,” Samandriel says forlornly. “I can’t help but feel like this is all my fault for saving the statue.”

“Nonsense,” Castiel chides him. “My father just doesn’t understand my interests. He never will, but that’s okay. I’m going to go and see the human world even if he doesn’t approve.”

“You’re—? _What?”_ Balthazar shouts, looking horrified. Castiel indicates his new acquaintances.

“This is Meg and Ruby. They’re going to take me to visit their sorcerer friend who often helps merfolk go and explore the human world.” He glides in their direction and Balthazar and Samandriel follow, but not without matching looks of trepidation on their faces.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Balthazar wonders. The trio follow the eel twins farther away from Michael’s territory.

“I have to do this,” Castiel tells him. “I have to see what it’s like to belong up there. It’s all I want.”

Samandriel touches his hand. “We just don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t,” Castiel promises. “I wouldn’t leave you forever. You’re my best friend and my whole family is here. But I have to do this, I _need_ to go and see it.”

“And Dean, of course.” Samandriel winks at him and Castiel just laughs.

“I would like to see Dean again, yes.”

“You shouldn’t go alone,” Balthazar says.

They approach a series of underwater caves, which Meg and Ruby navigate with ease, and Castiel feels his sense of anticipation growing. When they stop and point out the sorcerer’s cave, he enters it eagerly. It’s not terribly well-lit but he can make out a cecaelia near a bubbling cauldron and several shelves, similar to how his grotto had been set up.

“Meg? Ruby? Is that you?” The man calls over his shoulder. He turns around, smiling widely, and doesn’t miss a beat when he sees Castiel and his friends. “Ah, newcomers! Welcome to my home.”

“Hello,” Castiel replies, “I’m Castiel, and this is Balthazar and Samandriel. Meg and Ruby found me and we spoke about my desire to visit the human world. They say this is something you could help me with?”

Swimming toward them, the man replies in the affirmative. “Of course I can, my dear boy, but these things do not come free. There is always a price.”

“I have goods to trade,” Castiel says at once. “What would you like?”

But the other man shakes his head dismissively. “I don’t need _things,_ you see, that’s not the payment that I seek.”

“Castiel, I really don’t know if this is a good idea,” Balthazar interrupts. His brow is furrowed deeply.

“What’s the matter?” Castiel asks him.

“Who are you?” Balthazar asks the cecaelia instead of answering Castiel. “What’s your name?”

“Oh, my friends just call me the sorcerer, really.” He waves his hands. “I’m very old, you know. Names aren’t important when you get to be my age, champ.”

Balthazar looks unconvinced. Samandriel looks wary, but he’s generally of a nervous disposition. Castiel doesn’t have any hesitations.

“How long can I visit the human world?”

“Well, I happen to have the ingredients on hand to make your wish come true for three days.” The man holds up three fingers in front of his toothy smile. “You’ll blend in with the humans, spend time in their world, it’ll be amazing. And, here’s a nice little bonus… If you can get a human to fall in love with you and kiss you by the third sunset, you’ll be able to keep your human legs.”

“My legs?” Castiel wonders aloud.

The sorcerer rubbed his hands together, smiling as he drew closer to Castiel and his friends. “Yes, my dear, you will be sporting a lovely pair of human legs. We can’t have you up there looking like a fish out of water, now can we? No, I’ll disguise your appearance to fit in and, as I said, if you can win yourself a kiss, then you get your happily ever after.”

“Happily ever after…” Castiel repeats in a daze.

“Wait, Castiel,” Balthazar interrupts. “Surely you don’t wish to be a human permanently?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Meg argues, she and Ruby now circling their group.

Ruby continues, “Daddy doesn’t give a damn. He’ll fit in great with the humans. As our master says, he can find his true love. You’d be happy, wouldn’t you Castiel?”

“I would be very happy,” Castiel agrees with them. There’s a nagging voice in his head that begs him to be cautious, but he ignores it. He won’t have to listen to his father anymore, won’t have to hide his love for the human world. Everyone is suggesting that he’ll get the chance to fall in love, too. “And if I don’t fall in love,” he realizes, “then I’ll just come back here. You said if I get a kiss, then I stay a human but if I don’t, then, logically, I would turn back into a merman and return here.”

The cecaelia claps his hands and beams at Castiel. “Yes, yes, dear boy, you are certainly correct. So, do we have a deal?”

“I’ll miss you,” Samandriel says quietly. Castiel turns to hug him tightly.

“It won’t be long,” he says. “You’ll find some new treasures while I’m gone, won’t you?”

“I’ll do my best,” Samandriel agrees. Balthazar is still frowning deeply, his eyes fixed on the sorcerer.

“What did you say your name was, again?”

But Castiel has made up his mind. He wants to experience the human world and this magical creature is going to help him do that.

“Balthazar,” he says, “it will be fine, you’ll see.” He smiles at them, and then at Meg, Ruby, and the sorcerer. “What do I have to do?”

Grinning, the sorcerer retrieves a long scroll from one of his many shelves. He unrolls it with an excessive amount of flourish and indicates where Castiel should sign his name at the bottom, which he does using his finger despite not knowing how his writing could possibly show up on the scroll. It’s made of a thin material he’s never seen before. It must work through magic because as soon as he does, the entire cave is lit up with a blue-white light. The light grows stronger and stronger, eventually so bright that it hurts to look at, forcing everyone to close their eyes. Castiel writhes around, his tail feeling numb, uncomfortable, and tight for several long moments. Finally, it all stops.

Castiel feels many things in quick succession. First, everything below his belly button feels extraordinarily different. He attempts to wave his tail and instead finds himself moving his _legs._ His sexual organ looks fundamentally the same, but the color of the flesh is different, now. As for his other organs, Castiel quickly remembers that humans breathe differently than merfolk when he is suddenly unable to take a breath. He panics for a few seconds before the sorcerer snaps his fingers. A small bubble appears around Castiel’s head, seeming to preserve air inside of it and repel the surrounding water.

“Marvelous! Just marvelous,” the cecaelia shouts. “I’ll send you to the shore, now, you and your little friends. Any last words?”

At this, Castiel tries to reply and is stunned to find that he can’t. His mouth opens but nothing comes out.

“Oops!” Meg says, a smile on her face contradicting the seriousness of the problem. “Master, I believe you forgot to tell our unicorn that the price for his legs was his voice.”

“Ah, that is most unfortunate.” Again, their reactions lack the sincerity that Castiel would like to see given the situation.

Balthazar is furious. Yelling angrily, he lunges at the trio, but the sorcerer moves quickly, snapping his fingers for a second time. The magic forces Castiel, Balthazar, and Samandriel out of the cave and onto the shore in less than a second. Castiel splutters, the bubble having disappeared, taking his first breaths with fully human lungs. He lifts himself onto his elbows and looks around at the familiar beach. It is very early in the morning and so, luckily, there are no other humans around them.

Samandriel wheezes and Castiel goes to him at once with an unsteady roll. Once he has a hold on his friend, he attempts to stand. Every part of his legs shake and wobble, causing them all no small amount of stress. However, he does manage to stumble to the water and to gently lower Samandriel back into the waves. Feeling much better, Samandriel swims back and forth worriedly.

“What are you going to do, Castiel? You don’t have a voice!”

He touches his throat, eyebrows pressed together with worry of his own. How is he supposed to properly interact with other humans if he can’t speak with them?

In a brilliant stroke of luck, a certain friendly seagull flies past and spots the group at just the right moment.

“My, my, my! Is that Castiel and Samandriel I see? And Balthazar, my dear sir, it has been far too long.” Gabriel lands gracefully and struts toward them, not seeming to notice the change. Soon enough, though, he does realize that while he is looking at Castiel, this is not the same merman that he has known for years. “Castiel? What happened?”

Balthazar speaks up. “Castiel traded his voice to a sorcerer for a pair of legs. Three days he’ll spend in this forsaken wasteland.” He crosses his arms angrily. “It’s ridiculously unsafe and I cannot allow it.”

“Nonsense, Balthy.” Gabriel rolls his eyes. “Just go with him.”

“What?” Balthazar echoes Castiel’s thoughts.

“Lots of humans carry little animals around with them. No one will even think twice.”

Samandriel nods. “I’ve seen humans with animals here before. Castiel, you remember Dean’s brother had an animal with him on the ship.”

He does remember, though that animal was much different from Balthazar. He nods tentatively, making eye contact with Balthazar. His chaperone looks incredibly put out but he seems to have seen the logical outcomes. Either Castiel will go alone and he will worry endlessly, or he can accompany Castiel and still worry but will actually be able to help if needed. Besides, Samandriel can’t travel away from the water while Balthazar only needs a bit of water every so often to get by. They will make it work.

Decision made, Gabriel pipes up again. “You’re going to need clothes, Cassie. No way they’ll let you wander around like that for too long.”

Castiel looks down at his nude form. Is this frowned upon by human cultures? He reflects on the clothing he saw Dean, Sam, Bobby, and the other humans wearing on the ship and concludes he’s going to have to find them. Including the _shoes!_ Suddenly, the prospect of clothes seems far more exciting.

Samandriel tells Gabriel to fly down the beach and search for something Castiel can use. The rest of them either can’t go up the beach far enough to look or are too slow-moving to go by themselves. After a few minutes, he returns carrying a large cloth. Castiel eyes it warily. The garish color reminds him of clownfish and brightly-colored anemone. It is, however, the superior alternative to getting himself into trouble with the humans on his very first day.

He wraps himself according to his friends’ directions, with Balthazar climbing up his leg and into a fold that should contain him close to Castiel’s…hip? He isn’t sure if that’s what the humans call it. Luckily, without his voice, he might not fumble and use the wrong name for things and give himself away.

Keeping his thoughts positive, he embraces Samandriel and bids him goodbye for a few days. He accepts a pat on the head from Gabriel, who sends him off in the direction of some human residences that he’s seen on his travels. He also promises Castiel that he’ll visit with news from Samandriel and that he will keep his best friend updated on Castiel’s state as well.

While Castiel walks, he takes the time to admire both the scenery and the act itself. Can all humans naturally walk or is it taught to their younglings? Do all humans live close to beaches or do their kingdoms extend far away beyond the shore?

Castiel finds himself on familiar territory. He pauses and looks around, his smile growing when he realizes that, yes, he is standing in the same spot where he had pulled Dean to safety.

His moment of contemplation is broken by a shout.

“Hey! Hey, you!”

When Castiel turns in the direction of the noise, it’s _Dean_ who is walking toward him. He can’t quite read the expression on Dean’s face, but he’s sure that his own is a weird mix of relief and terror.

Dean is standing right in front of him now, just observing him for the moment. Castiel bites his lip and tries to look normal. “Are you trying to swim?” Dean finally asks him. “This isn’t a good place for that, it’s too rocky and the undercurrent is too dangerous.”

Castiel reflects that the currents are quite strong here but it’s not too much for him. Still, for a human, it could be overwhelming. So, he shakes his head and takes another step away from the water. Dean’s mouth pulls up on one side.

“That’s good,” he says, “wouldn’t want you getting hurt.” Castiel smiles at him, feeling warm inside at Dean’s concern. His smile seems to cause Dean to smile, too, and he also reaches up to rub at the back of his neck. “What’s your name?”

Castiel frowns, feeling bereft that he can’t actually communicate with Dean this way. He mimics Dean’s movement, bringing his hand up to his neck, but instead of rubbing the back Castiel touches the front of it. He opens his mouth to demonstrate that he can’t make a sound.

“Oh,” Dean says, his eyes wide. And _green._ “You can’t speak?”

Shaking his head no, Castiel looks down at their feet, feeling quite sorry for himself.

“Hey, it’s all right.” Dean touches his shoulder, causing Castiel to look up at him and his smiling face. “It’s not a problem. We can, uh, talk in other ways, I’m sure. We’ll figure it out. Did you ever learn sign language? Because I know someone who is deaf and her first language is sign language. Maybe we can use that?”

Castiel is confused, never having heard of sign language, and Dean must read this in his expression.

“Maybe not then. Still, you should come back to the castle with me. We’ll figure something out, I promise.” When Castiel smiles widely at him, Dean blushes and smiles back. He turns and Castiel follows, trying unsuccessfully to imitate his gait. Dean seems bemused but he simply leads Castiel along the beach and then out and away from the sand and the water, from everything that Castiel has ever known.

He is truly in the human world now.


	3. Chapter 3

As they walk, Dean explains the things that they walk past, having gathered that Castiel is not from this particular human civilization. Finally, Castiel spots something familiar. There at the top of a rocky cliff is a huge palace just like the one Castiel’s family lives in. Of course, this one is on land and therefore is dry, but the shape seems to be quite similar. Although, he thinks that Dean called it a _castle._ Hopefully, these words are merely synonymous.

Castiel prods at Dean’s shoulder, gaining his attention. First he points at Dean’s chest, then at the palace, and then back at Dean but this time at his head. He mimes putting on a crown, like the one his father wears, and waits for Dean to understand.

“Yes, I’m the prince.” Dean shrugs. “My parents are the king and queen of these lands, and I have a younger brother, Sammy. Do you have a royal family where you’re from?”

Eagerly, Castiel nods and then points at himself. Dean looks in confusion at Castiel’s hand.

“…You? You are royalty?” Castiel smiles and nods again. “Are you sure you understand me? We’re in charge of the laws, taking care of the people, um, I have to wear a crown sometimes?”

Castiel rolls his eyes. Oh, how he wishes he could speak.

“Do you have siblings?” Dean asks curiously.

Castiel points to Dean again. Then he moves his fingers one at a time to show six. Then he points at Dean once more and gestures to their respective height difference; Dean is approximately three inches taller than him when they stand side by side.

“Six, holy shit, you have six siblings? Me… They’re like me? They’re boys? No, uh, they’re older?”

Castiel nods, since it’s both. He is the youngest of seven sons and his brothers will never, ever let him hear the end of it.

“Wow. Okay.” Dean looks shocked. Perhaps this many children isn’t typical for humans? “And you’re all princes? Your parents are the king and queen?”

Since Castiel never knew his mother, he can’t say there’s a queen of his kingdom. He really isn’t sure how to tell Dean this information, however, so he simply nods again and shrugs his shoulders.

Dean seems to understand that there’s more and that it’s difficult to explain, and he says, “I guess we’ll come back to that later, then.” By now, they’ve reached a door, which Dean beckons him through. The room they’ve entered is warm and there are many people bustling around. Male and female humans of all shapes and sizes and Castiel is right in the middle of them, as if he belongs. It’s a heartening thought.

“Eileen!” Dean calls out to one human, a female one, who walks toward them with a patient smile.

“What is it, Dean? I won’t have time to finish the pies if you stay and bother my staff.” Her voice sounds off to Castiel’s ears. Perhaps she speaks in a different language than the others.

“I made a new friend,” Dean says, gesturing to Castiel. “He can’t talk and I thought maybe he knows sign language, but mine is so poor.” He grins sheepishly and Eileen chuckles. She regards Castiel for a moment before she uses her hands in a way Castiel has never observed before. The movements are fluid, her fingers and hands clearly strong with years of practice. When she stops moving them, he looks back up at her face, wondering how he should respond.

“I’ve asked you a few questions, new friend of Dean’s. Did any of that make sense to you?” she asks him. Disappointed again at his lack of communication skill, he shakes his head no. However, it would seem these clever humans know of a way to talk to each other without using their voices. Maybe he could learn to do that!

“It’s okay, buddy.” Dean grasps his shoulder again. “Like I said, we’ll figure it out.”

“You’re welcome down here when I get my breaks for lessons,” Eileen tells him. She smiles warmly at them both before waving them goodbye and returning to her tasks. Castiel looks around the room with wonder, taking in the heavenly smells, looking at Dean for clues.

Dean looks confused but leads him out of a different door and into a hallway. “That’s our kitchen, where they make the food.”

Castiel understands now, this is a human’s version of a galley. Their own underwater version is vastly different but food production is, of course, quite normal. He wonders if Dean and other humans eat fish and other sea life as Castiel and his family do.

“Okay, so you have one,” Dean huffs a laugh, “must look pretty different though. I’d really like to see your castle sometime.” Castiel briefly fantasizes about that very thing while Dean leads him into another room. This one is enormous and full of light from the windows. They are quite different from the windows in Castiel’s home, though, as these are covered by something rather than being a simple open hole in the wall.

Castiel is distracted from thinking about it any further by the other, more interesting things to see in the room. There are so many shelves, even more than the shelves he’d had in his grotto. And they are absolutely filled to the brim with strange, vertically stacked and colorful objects. It’s akin to seeing bricks, not hewn from rock as he has seen, but a different material. Castiel touches one brick with a careful fingers and realizes that it feels like skin.

When he looks over his shoulder at Dean, he sees him smiling softly. Castiel’s heart stutters to see it.

“They’re books,” Dean tells him. “This is our library.” Castiel catalogues both words at once, committing them as well as the smell, the light, and the peacefulness of the _library_ to memory. It’s an absolutely beautiful room. He reaches for Dean’s hand, still staring at the vast shelves with all of their _books._ He squeezes Dean’s palm, hoping it conveys the thanks that he intends it to. From the expression on Dean’s face when he does turn to look at him, the message is received.

“I’m gonna go and grab Sammy,” Dean says after a few moments of quiet appreciation. “You’re welcome to stay and look around, please just stay in the library, okay? It’ll be hell trying to find you if you leave and get lost.” He chuckles and Castiel smiles warmly at him. He has no need to go anywhere else.

Once Dean is gone, he starts to walk around the room, touching a few of the books and admiring the large windows. He is later ashamed to be startled by Balthazar’s sudden reappearance.

“Finally!” He huffs and puffs and climbs immediately down Castiel’s leg and onto the floor. Balthazar scuttles quickly to the nearest chair and seats himself there, looking extremely displeased. “I’ve been hiding in your clothing for hours! I thought I was going to be cooked alive. Thought that human would never leave you alone.”

Castiel rolls his eyes at Balthazar’s dramatics, crouching to be on eye level with his chaperone (and also testing the movement of his legs, which are still very new and extremely fascinating in their dexterity).

“I’m fine, obviously,” Balthazar continues. “I’m glad we have a moment. This is the library, then?” Castiel nods. “Will you sleep here?” Castiel looks around himself, and then shrugs. He isn’t sure but he doubts that this is an appropriate sleeping quarters. There aren’t any beds. Do humans use the same beds that merfolk do?

“Well, I do hope to get some food at some point. You were in the galley earlier, right? Any sign of algae? Mussels?” At Castiel’s expression, Balthazar sighs sadly. “I didn’t think so. I won’t hold my breath for fine dining, then. Just please don’t forget about me.” Castiel pets his head, which Balthazar only grudgingly allows.

Castiel does get a chance to look at the shelves and he does take a few books off of their shelves, drawn to them by the writings and the drawings. Merfolk’s writing is quite different from the humans’, at least Dean’s humans. It is no matter, though, because he can look at the pictures within. He sits down in the chair next to Balthazar’s, who is enjoying the fresh air and room to move around while he still can. He admires the human creativity in several volumes before they hear Dean and Sam entering the otherwise silent room. Balthazar jumps back into the folds of Castiel’s makeshift clothes just in time.

“Here he is.” Dean gestures to where Castiel is sitting and smiles fondly at him, which Castiel returns. Sam looks a bit more guarded, rubbing the head of the hairy _dog_ Dean had rescued from the ship, who stands at attention next to the enormous human.

“Hello there,” he says. Castiel bobs his head at him. “You really can’t speak?”

“Sam.” Dean frowns. But Castiel doesn’t feel offended, he simply shakes his head at Sam. It is frustrating for everyone involved.

“It’s just a question,” Sam replies defensively. He goes to the table near Castiel’s chair and retrieves a writing utensil and some strange-looking paper. “Could you write your name for us? And where you’re from?”

“Geez, Sam, is he being interrogated now?” Dean crosses his arms.

“I just want to get to know him.” Sam sits in the chair next to Castiel’s and looks at him with interest. “Please,” he says directly to Castiel.

The _dog,_ named Riot, he remembers, comes toward him and nudges his hand with its nose. Castiel looks into its intelligent eyes and is startled when it _yips_ at him. It nuzzles at his hand and his leg, wiggling its entire body with what appears to be happiness. It reminds Castiel of dolphins encountering new friends. When he looks up at Sam and Dean, they look awestruck.

“Riot doesn’t normally…do that,” Dean explains.

“He doesn’t like strangers,” Sam murmurs, looking at Castiel with surprise.

“I guess you’re special,” Dean remarks, winking at Castiel before sitting down in the chair opposite Castiel’s.

Amused now, Castiel picks up the writing utensil. The only thing he’s ever needed to write is his name, so he does that. Next, he starts drawing, with Riot’s head resting on his leg the whole time.

Sam watches him with interest while Castiel draws an elaborate map. He draws the shore with the rocks in the shallows and more the further one goes around the corner of the circular bay. He continues out from the bay, drawing in as many physical landmarks as he can and eyeballing it for the most part. Once he reaches where he’s pretty sure his homeland is, he draws a small version of his palace. He hopes that Dean will like it.

When he pushes it toward Sam, he peers at it so intently that Dean can’t see around his head. He lets Sam look for a minute before he shoves him aside to get a look, making Castiel chuckle.

“Oh,” Dean says, his head having snapped up to look at Castiel when he’d laughed out loud. “You can laugh! That’s…that’s good, that’s _great.”_

Sam snorts a laugh of his own but Dean doesn’t look at him, his big green eyes fixed on Castiel. He’d noticed them right when he’d run into Dean at the shore, but now he can look his fill at the color, so unique and lovely. The statue, of course, couldn’t do his eyes justice.

“Are you certain this map is accurate?” Sam mutters, almost too quietly to be heard. “Of course, it’s an amateur rendition, but there’s no way. That’s…” He trails off. “And this script. This is your native language?” He looks up at Castiel, who can only nod in response. That’s the way he writes his name. He could also write his father’s and his brothers’ if that would help?

“What’s the matter?” Dean asks, looking over Sam’s shoulder. When he looks at Castiel’s name, he says, “oh,” and turns back to Castiel. “That’s some language, there, buddy.”

Castiel tilts his head in confusion. Sam explains, “it’s just completely different than our language. These symbols, they’re meaningless to us.” Castiel’s brow furrows. He’d hoped they’d be able to at least learn to say his name. Enochian must not be the common written language in this kingdom.

“And yet,” Sam continues, “you seem to be able to understand us when we talk to you. And look at this, Dean.” Sam points to the map again. “That’s Dead Man’s Cove here, and I recognize some of these outer islands, but this goes so much further than our own maps, out into open water. I wasn’t aware there was anything out here, much less an entire kingdom. You said he’s royalty?”

“Ask him yourself, Sam, he can hear you,” Dean grumps.

Sam winces. “Sorry, uh, friend of Dean’s. I mean no offense.” Castiel smiles at him, acknowledging that Sam is a curious scholar. “I just find you interesting and I want to know more about who you are and where you’ve come from. Dean said he found you here, at Dead Man’s Cove.” He points at the bay, and Castiel realizes these humans have named that particular stretch of shore. He nods, happy to confirm some bit of relevant information. “How did you arrive there?” Sam asks.

Castiel thinks about how to answer. He hasn’t really observed anything that would indicate merfolk are known to these humans, so he has no idea what their reactions might be. He also has no idea how to explain that he’d made a deal with a magician to try on some human legs. So, in the end, he imitates swimming, and points at the Cove on the map.

“You swam there?” Sam clarifies, his voice and face showing his doubt.

“I didn’t see any boat, so that checks out,” Dean says. He’s smiling at Castiel again, who can’t help but reciprocate.

Suddenly, his stomach rumbles, creating a strange noise he’s never heard before. Riot makes a noise and Dean laughs, looking unfairly gorgeous, before offering Castiel his hand.

“Yep, me too.” He helps Castiel stand, his legs feeling awkward after sitting for so long. Dean leans in and squints at his face and his hair. “Would you like to bathe before dinner?” Castiel has no idea what that means, but he knows he’ll follow Dean anywhere, so he just nods. “We’ll meet you in the dining hall, Sammy. Maybe just you and me and Bobby, tonight? Mom and Dad aren’t due back yet, which is good timing, and I don’t want to overwhelm him with new people.”

“Sure, Dean.” Sam looks at Castiel with an indiscernible expression, his brow furrowed and his lips pursed. But he’s petting Riot’s head and he gives them a smile on their way out.

Dean leads him out of the library, telling him not to worry about leaving the books on the table. He tells Castiel a little about his and Sam’s parents on the way, how they’re away visiting another kingdom to do some business with them. Eventually, they reach one door in a hallway that Dean opens and pokes his head inside. He nods to himself and walks inside, inviting Castiel inside.

“This can be your room,” Dean tells him. Castiel feels a swell of gratitude that Dean is entrusting him with an entire room in his _castle._ There’s a bed and a large wooden box with a set of doors that he can see, as well as a small sitting area. There are more large windows in here, with curtains and also the strange clear covers, keeping out the fresh air. He goes to one and realizes that he’s been looking at _glass_ this whole time. He and Samandriel have found many pieces of seaglass in the past, which Gabriel says are highly valued. The most rare pieces are clear, like the glass in the windows, usually he finds shades of brown, blue, and green.

He looks over his shoulder at the most beautiful shade of green he’s ever encountered. Dean is watching him with a happy expression, obviously pleased that Castiel is admiring the room. Castiel goes to him, reaching for his hand. He squeezes in thanks and, to his surprise, Dean squeezes back. His heart thumps madly, his face warm.

Dean walks backward toward a door he hadn’t seen before in the corner of the bedroom. There is another room beyond it with stone floors. Castiel wanders inside, looking around curiously. When he looks at Dean, he can see that Dean is confused by his own confusion. Surely, this is another common human thing that Castiel doesn’t understand quite yet.

“You can bathe in here. Um, bathe?” Dean flushes adorably. “Maybe since your people are island-dwelling, this is new to you?” Castiel nods quickly, grateful for Dean’s sharp observation despite believing something that isn’t quite accurate. “Let me, uh, let me send someone in to run the water for you, then. But you get in and use the soap on your skin until you’re all clean. Then get out and, um, wipe your skin with these towels until you’re dry again.” He points everything out to Castiel but his eyes skitter away from Castiel’s. “I’ll come back when you’re ready, okay?” Castiel nods at him with a gentle smile. “Okay, bye for now, then.” With a small wave, Dean retreats from the bathing room. What an interesting concept to have a whole room dedicated to _baths._ Though Castiel logically understands that humans, who exist in a dry state for the most part, have the need to keep their water contained.

He isn’t left alone for long; a female human enters the room, startling him a bit. She smiles kindly at him though, her long dark hair streaked with gray. She shows him how she gets warm water for his bath and Castiel observes her work with wide eyes. He hesitates when she asks him to confirm whether the temperature is acceptable. He follows her lead, putting his fingers into the calm surface. This water is far warmer than the regular ocean water, closer to that of a hot spring. Those are very soothing, and Castiel is now looking forward to his bath time. Can humans take multiple baths in one day?

At his eager nod, the human chuckles and leaves him be. She points to the towels and to a small pile of clothing as well, with instructions to dress in that when he’s done. That is a problem to be solved at a later time. For now, Castiel wants to enjoy his _bath._

He quickly determines that it’s like heaven. These clever humans have made getting clean in a container of warm water into a truly pleasurable and wonderful experience. He luxuriates, stretching his nude limbs as much as he can. Balthazar observes him from atop the pile of cloth he’d been wearing around all day.

“This is filthy, you know.” Balthazar kicks at it. “Who even allowed Gabriel to dress you? What were we thinking?” Castiel smiles to himself, finding the whole thing humorous. Dean and Sam never questioned his garments.

 _Soap_ in hand, Castiel rubs the small square up and down each of his limbs. Washing his legs is meditative, watching the dark hairs flatten and move against his skin. They’re tan like his torso and muscular despite not having existed two days ago. But they do look nice, if Castiel may say so himself.

Seeing as this is his first opportunity to be back in the water, Castiel opts to relieve himself. He has to wonder whether this is how humans handle their business but, unfortunately, he has no means of inquiring.

When he stands, his body feels odd at being upright again. Being submerged in the water was quite soothing. He wonders as he’s wiping himself with the towel Dean had pointed out if all humans feel soothed by baths or if, perhaps, he’s drawn to the water due to his true identity as a merman. He wishes he could ask.

Flesh now dry, Castiel stands before the chair with the clothes Dean left for him. First, there is a small bit of cloth with one large hole and two smaller ones. It is so small that Castiel has absolutely no idea where his body is supposed to accommodate this item. He turns his attention to the second, which he recognizes! Gabriel called these _pants_ and humans wear them to cover their legs.

In a flash, he looks back to the first garment. These _could_ be something Gabriel described once as a popular item for human males to wear when they are swimming. Yes, these very well could be _diapers._ Castiel was led to believe these looked far different than what is in front of him, though. And now he faces a dilemma: two items of clothing meant to be worn over one’s legs. Does one go on top of the other? He tries the _pants_ first and discovers they fit around his hips nicely and are a bit loose down his legs. Does the _diaper_ go on top of these? When he tries this, he doesn’t like it. Upon reflection, he hasn’t seen this clothing item on Dean. But, maybe, he couldn’t see it because Dean’s _diaper_ is underneath his _pants?_ When Castiel tries them on in that order, he likes it very much. His sexual organ, which has previously been dangling between his legs, is comfortably nestled in fabric and not at all exposed to the elements. Yes, this seems to be an appropriate use of clothing.

There is one more item sitting on the chair. Castiel is pretty sure it’s a _shirt,_ but it features two long stretches of fabric, one attached to each side. On one side of it, there is a V shape cut out of the material with a string criss-crossing between each side. The whole thing is quite peculiar.

Balthazar is of no assistance, scoffing at Castiel’s attempts. He also notices there aren’t any folds in which to hide.

“I’ll have to stay here,” Balthazar decides. “Though not in this room, in case that female human returns for the water you’ve used. I’ll be hiding by the bed, I suppose. Try to speak with Gabriel and Samandriel if I can.”

Castiel hears a knock at the door, followed by Dean’s voice. “Cas? You decent?” He has no idea what the appropriate response to this is, nor would he be able to vocalize it if he could. Once he sees Balthazar is definitely hidden, he opens the door.

Dean’s eyes move quickly over his chest before settling on the _shirt_ in Castiel’s hands. He feels embarrassed until Dean smiles kindly at him.

“Let me help you with that.” He has Castiel raise his arms up above his head, at which point Dean pulls the garment over his torso. The criss-cross pattern is at the front, covering his breast bone. Dean nods to himself, satisfied with his handiwork.

Castiel admires himself in a nearby mirror briefly before he reaches for Dean’s hand and squeezes it. Dean’s face turns a pleasant shade of pink, just like the _shirt,_ and his smile grows larger.

Dean adjusts their hands so that Castiel’s is looped through Dean’s arm and resting on his bicep as he leads Castiel from the bathing room and bedroom into another hallway. Castiel’s home does not have nearly this many hallways, nor doors, and the windows are simply open spaces, while Dean’s all seem to have the same clear _glass_ covering them. The desire to take Dean to see his own palace grows stronger by the minute.

When they enter the dining hall, Castiel is comforted that it appears to be similar to his own. One long table for them to sit and eat, with plates and bowls at the ready. Two men and the hairy creature Dean rescued from the ship are sitting at one end and Dean walks them around to the empty side of the table.

“Bobby, meet my new friend. He’s from an island-nation way out past Dead Man’s Cove and he can’t speak.” Dean is clearly eager to introduce Castiel to the older gentleman, the same one he’d observed on the boat celebrating Dean’s birthday. When Dean and Cas get close enough, Bobby puts his hand out in between them, his fingers straight but relaxed. Cas stares at the hand for a moment, suddenly uncertain. Dean and Sam didn’t do this, is it a custom for older generations? Some sort of greeting? He looks to Dean for clues.

“Oh, do you not do handshakes where you’re from?” Bless Dean for his ability to interpret Castiel’s many confused gazes. “Uh, what would be customary?”

At his question, Castiel places his hands on Dean’s shoulders and leans in. He presses their cheeks together firmly and leaves the softest of kisses at Dean’s cheekbone, nearly his ear. Then, he pulls back and does the same thing on the other side. When he steps back, Dean’s entire face is bright red and Sam is stifling a laugh behind his hand. Clearly, that was _not_ what the humans were expecting.

“Idjits,” he hears Bobby mutter. “Sit down, would you?”

Dean hastens to pull out a chair for Castiel before sitting down next to him. His blush has only faded a little bit, and Castiel feels somewhat guilty for causing so much embarrassment. But Dean _did_ ask what his customary greeting is. However, there’s no deeper meaning when greeting a stranger, just politeness. It was different with Dean and he doesn’t know how to explain it. Ever since he arrived on shore and Dean found him there, he’s felt this same tug in his chest. It isn’t as terrifying as he’d thought it might be to develop feelings for someone. And it isn’t surprising, given that Dean has been nothing but warm, kind, and patient with him.

“You still with us, buddy?” Dean’s voice interrupts his thoughts. Castiel quickly gives himself a shake and nods, making eye contact with Dean and giving him a smile, which Dean returns. Castiel sees Bobby and Sam look at each other but he pays them no mind.

Food is brought out to them almost immediately. Castiel doesn’t recognize any of it, but it certainly looks and smells delicious. They are also given two items which Castiel recognizes at once, a _dinglehopper_ and a _spoon!_ He smiles smugly, grateful that Gabriel had been able to teach him so much vocabulary.

“Got your fork?” Dean leans over to look at him and Castiel feels confused. A fork? Then, Dean gestures with the _dinglehopper_ in his hand. Oh. Perhaps the lessons weren’t so good, then. He picks up his own _fork_ and shows it to Dean. He also picks up the…other item. “And your spoon, good,” Dean says. Okay, fifty-percent isn’t bad.

Dean passes him food off the large plate, allowing Castiel to try a few bites of everything. He’s happy to listen to the conversation flowing around him. Bobby is clearly something of a mentor to Sam and Dean, and Castiel enjoys their banter.

After their meal, they continue to sit and drink a deep red liquid called _wine_ for another few hours. It’s very pleasant with warm ocean breeze coming in the now open window and the stars blinking awake in the dark nighttime sky.

Even though he can’t speak to them and they have yet to come up with another way to communicate, Castiel feels welcome in Dean’s castle. Bobby and Sam eventually retire to bed, and still Castiel sits with Dean at the table, sipping the foreign drink and listening to his stories. He enjoys both, the _wine_ has a strange but satisfying flavor in addition to the soothing effects on his mind and body. He feels heavier somehow and warm all over.

Dean finishes telling him about the time Sam broke his arm with a handsome laugh and a gentle pat on his shoulder. He holds the bottom of the cup— which is also made of glass— with his whole fist, so Castiel copies him. Dean calls him ‘buddy’ and it is nice, clearly a term of endearment, but it just doesn’t _fit_ right. Castiel, confident now with the wine in his hand, is sure that Dean is starting to have feelings for him, too.

“You know, I hate calling you buddy. Feels weird.” Dean’s statement comes out of nowhere, yet it echoes Castiel’s thoughts perfectly. “Wish I could figure out your name.”

Castiel looks at him thoughtfully, wondering how they might go about this. The sounds of his name are all present in Dean’s language, so even though he can’t read it he should still be able to say it. He thinks using another word might be useful. He touches Dean’s hand to get his attention and he gestures around them.

“The…dining room? What about it?” he asks.

Shaking his head, Castiel moves his arms in a bigger wave, trying to mimic the huge shape of the palace.

“A dome? A bubble? I’m lost.” Dean peers at him intently. “You talking about here?” Castiel nods. “Here like…the castle?” Castiel points and beams at him. Yes, _castle._ Then, he puts his hands up with his palms facing each other, and he moves them toward one another.

“Smaller than castle? No, shorter? Cast… Cas?”

Again, Castiel beams, nodding his head vigorously. He has no idea how to add the _tiel_ of his full name without causing more confusion, but at least the first syllable is there.

“Cas? Your name is Cas? Holy crap!” Dean exclaims, excitement obvious in his whole body. “You’re Cas. Cas, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m Dean, it’s good to meet you, Cas. _Wow.”_ Castiel laughs, Dean’s joy contagious in the air. He grabs Dean’s free hand in his own, squeezing it tightly. They continue to gaze at each other, eyes locked for several minutes. The calming noise of the waves fills the otherwise silent room and Dean and Castiel bask in it.

“Probably a good time to go to bed. Want to get enough sleep so I can show you around tomorrow,” Dean tells him. He squeezes Castiel’s hand back, his calloused palm gentle around Castiel’s. He doesn’t let go when he stands up, taking their drinks with them as Dean leads them back to Castiel’s room. Once they arrive, they stare at each other some more, contentedness tangible in the air. Castiel clutches his glass of wine and wonders if he should act on his feelings.

He steps a little closer to Dean, peering up through his lashes. He hopes Dean understands his intent, and that Dean would choose to back away if Castiel is crossing a line. Seeing only bemusement, Castiel rises on the front part of his feet and gently presses his lips to Dean’s cheek. Unlike when he was demonstrating a greeting kiss, this kiss includes the tip of Castiel’s nose against Dean’s cheekbone and the quickening of his heartbeat.

Dean, for his part, looks happy and flushed. He looks down and bites his lip before he speaks.

“Thanks, Cas. Sleep well.” He backs away slowly, the pair of them watching each other even as Castiel slowly opens his door and Dean reaches the end of the hallway. With a small wave, he disappears around the corner, and Castiel slips inside.

He leans against the door and breathes, smiling so widely his face is starting to hurt. Looking down at his glass, Castiel drinks the last of the wine within and places it carefully on the table next to his bed. Balthazar is already curled up and asleep on one of the pillows, so similar and yet different from the ones on Castiel’s bed back home.

Home, he thinks as he undresses and crawls into the bed, is starting to become a different sort of place in his mind. One where he is looked upon with adoration and his name is _Cas._

In the morning, Castiel wakes up slowly and comfortably. He stretches, blinking against the bright sunlight pouring in through his window. Balthazar is awake and sitting on the ledge looking out at the water.

They are both startled by a knock at the door. Castiel gestures with the pillow and Balthazar leaps back to the bed in order to hide under it. Since he can’t simply invite whoever it is inside, Castiel has to get up and go to the door himself. Halfway there, Castiel remembers that he is nude, and remembers that Gabriel seemed to think it highly inappropriate for these humans to see another’s nakedness. There are clothes hanging on the back of his door, different colors and fabrics but all in the same style: a very long shirt that is entirely open at the front. He slips it over his shoulders and discovers there is a sort of fabric belt attached, which he cinches around his waist. The knock sounds again and, when Castiel opens it, he’s pleased to see it’s Dean.

“Oh! Hey there, uh, good morning, Cas.” Castiel ducks his head and smiles, feeling much too excited over merely being referred to by a nickname. “I, um, thought we’d do something fun today. Do-do you have horses on your island? Have you ever gone riding before?”

Castiel opts not to try to explain to Dean that he does not, in fact, live on an island, and simply shakes his head no.

“Awesome! Would you go with me now, then? Let me grab some riding clothes out of the wardrobe for you.” Dean seems cheered by Castiel’s willingness to do so. He gestures into Castiel’s room and Castiel allows him in, curious what Dean is doing. He watches the human cross the floor to the wooden box he’d observed on his first day, the _wardrobe_ , which he opens and begins rummaging through, eventually stepping back with a few things in his hands. He places them on the bed for Castiel to see and calls them by name.

“A pair of breeches, a good shirt for riding, and a jacket so you don’t catch a chill. I know there’s old riding boots in here, too.” He turns back and pulls out a pair of tall brown _shoes,_ which must have the name _boots._ How fascinating that humans have new names for each individual _shoe_ and _pant,_ since these _breeches_ look much different than the ones Castiel wore yesterday. Castiel smiles at Dean, eager to try on the new clothing.

When Dean goes back out into the hallway, he tells Castiel to come out when he’s ready. Balthazar peeks out to watch Castiel hurry to put his clothes on.

“I wonder what the human has in store for you, my dear boy. I’m still wary, you know,” Balthazar warns him but Castiel isn’t paying attention, too busy looking at himself in the mirror. He likes the material of the new clothes, the way the _breeches_ are very tight on his legs, and the details on the jacket. There’s colored lines all around the edges and it looks very beautiful. And the _buttons!_ Gabriel told him about buttons ages ago when he first started finding them among the seashells in the areas closest to shore. He put on the same _diaper_ from yesterday, hoping this isn’t a faux pas of some kind, he just really enjoys how comfortable it is. The tall _boots_ complete his new look, made of a black shiny material that feels almost like a skin. He assumes, given the tightness of his pants, that they simply go on the outside.

The jacket has a couple of good-sized fabric folds, almost like pockets. He shows Balthazar, who looks unhappy but he does climb inside.

He steps outside to greet Dean, who waited patiently for him. Dean gives him a onceover and a smile. His hands seem to twitch at his sides and Castiel wonders if Dean would like to hold his hand as they walk.

Their first stop is the kitchen to get a small breakfast. All of the foods are so foreign to Castiel and yet many of them are delicious, especially at this morning hour when Castiel is famished. It is nice to have warm food enter your body and to feel the warmth. Humans are so fragile, after all, to need extra support keeping their bodies warm.

Next, they go out to the _stables,_ Dean calls it. It’s a long building filled with the noises and smells of many animals. Well, not the kind of animal noises with which Castiel is familiar, but he can see as soon as they step inside that this is where the humans keep their animals. The _dog_ that Castiel had seen what feels like ages ago is here again, pacing among the rest of the animals who are all much taller than it. Their legs alone are larger than it, though they are very thin appendages, and their torsos enormous and round. They have hairy tails— such different tails than the ones Castiel is used to— and long, shaggy hair on their heads as well.

Dean watches his fascination play out on his face before he explains that these are the _horses_ he spoke of earlier, and he leads Castiel through the room to identify each individual creature to him, as they all have names and stories. Finally, they arrive at the home of a beautiful black horse, a female one, which is called a _mare,_ according to Dean. This is his baby, he says, and he calls her Impala.

Hesitatingly, Castiel learns to pet her nose and even brush her long hair a bit. It’s a stunning dark gray color, which Dean says is completely unique. Her intelligent eyes focus on Castiel for the duration, peering directly into his soul, or so it seems.

Then Dean leads him over to a golden horse with light hair, almost a white-blonde color. He introduces Castiel to Continental and has him perform the same human-horse bonding ritual of petting their noses and brushing their hair. Continental is a little larger and stockier than Impala, and Dean adds that he’s older and more tame.

“This good boy will take care of you,” he says, patting Continental’s rump. “They’ll get saddled up and we’ll go on a nice ride, if that’s okay?” At Castiel’s smile, Dean ducks away to hide his blush and to summon a few additional humans to help him carry out the preparations. Castiel observes everything with interest at Dean’s side content to absorb his knowledge. Dean is evidently here quite often and very attached to his horse.

When everything is ready, Dean leads Castiel and Continental to a small, raised platform. He helps Castiel to climb on top of it and directs him to hoist himself up onto the horse and to swing one of his legs over the animal’s back. Strapped to it is a shiny brown seat of sorts, from which two loops swing on each side. Dean helps him sit comfortably and to place his feet into the _stirrups._ Once Castiel has confirmed that he feels secure, Dean swings himself onto Impala with practiced ease.

Continental follows Impala out of the stable and into a large open space. They continue to walk along, with Castiel exerting minimal effort to do anything besides stay upright. Dean talks to Castiel (and Impala) the whole time, narrating the things they are passing, generally. Castiel thinks he could never tire of Dean’s voice.

They explore what Castiel believes to be the entirety of the town surrounding the castle. The horses don’t seem to get tired easily at all, content to carry the two of them around for hours. Dean points out everything they encounter, identifying things as _trees, meadows,_ and _flowers._ Castiel loves and appreciates the variety and beauty of the flowers and the quiet strength of the trees. Dean is happy to share everything that he knows and Castiel is happy to listen.

It becomes increasingly clear that Dean is well-known and beloved by the people who live in this area. Castiel feels lucky to be present as people approach them to say hello to Dean, offer him gifts, ask for him to bless their children, and to inquire why he’s in town now. Dean asked him the first time if it would be okay to introduce him and Castiel had not hesitated to allow it, what with how courteous everyone was and how kindly Dean responded.

After a long ride and several stops, Dean steers them back to the castle so they can have lunch. He watches with fascination as the horses are brought in to be cared for after their morning together. Dean even gives him some treats to feed to Continental, which Castiel does with absolute delight. Heading inside the castle, Dean tells him to grab any clothes he likes out of the _wardrobe_ in order to change, since what they wore while riding is now dirty, and to meet him in the dining room.

Balthazar leaps onto the bed with a relieved shout. “I thought I was going to die in there! Really, that was so much longer than I thought it would be. How could you stand that? Was it uncomfortable, all that sitting? And your legs, how are they?” Castiel allows his chaperone to fuss over him, but he really wasn’t uncomfortable at all. A little stiff perhaps from sitting in the same position for all of that time, but he assumes that’s because he wasn’t used to riding on a horse.

He chooses a pair of black pants and a white shirt that has _buttons_ on the front because he thinks it looks nice. He also chooses a new _diaper_ since the one he had been wearing feels odd now. The area where the _diaper_ is worn has become damp, which he believes this to be a human reaction to heat since he was also damp in the underarms. There is a small _wheel_ in the _wardrobe_ as well, which Castiel hasn’t seen since he uncovered a human child’s toy off the coast of the bay many years ago. On this _wheel,_ there are long strips of fabric hanging and Castiel hasn’t been this confused in a while. What in the world are these used for? Are they clothing or something else?

His eyes are drawn to one in particular, a dark blue that reminds him of his tail when it shimmered in the sunlight. When he picks it up, the fabric is smooth on one side and folded on the back and shaped like a triangle at both ends, with one end being much larger than the other. Looking in the mirror, Castiel puts the cloth around his shoulders.

“What in the world are you doing?” Balthazar says, echoing Castiel’s thoughts. He shrugs, leaving the cloth as is, and gesturing to the door since he’s ready for lunch. “Oh no, I’ll be staying here,” Balthazar replies. “Too much activity for me, all of that.”

When he arrives in the dining room, Dean covers a laugh with his hand.

“I see you found the ties. I’m guessing you don’t have those in your kingdom either?” Castiel touches the cloth, the _tie,_ and shakes his head, feeling a little foolish. “It’s no problem, Cas, that’ll look really nice on you. Come here and I can help you put it on,” Dean says.

So, Castiel goes to him. Dean rises out of the chair and gives him a warm smile. He adjusts the fabric around his neck more tightly and he knots it with fluid movements suggesting a lot of practice. Castiel takes the chance to observe Dean’s face up close, relishing the opportunity and just how perfect Dean’s features are. He’s truly stunning.

When Dean pats the _tie_ where it rests on his chest, he’s blushing, unable to meet Castiel’s eyes for very long. He diverts attention by pulling out the chair next to his for Castiel to sit down and by passing him plates of food. And Castiel doesn’t mind because it’s another thing he gets to do with Dean. When they eventually eat their fill, Dean suggests they visit the library for some relaxation and Castiel readily agrees. In fact, they spend the next several hours sitting in various soft chairs around the room, testing their comfortability, of course, and looking at several different books. Castiel chooses ones with nice pictures and Dean reads him passages that he likes, ones about history, philosophy, and adventure.

Castiel can’t ever remember spending so much time with someone and having so much fun doing it. But Dean has yet another idea for them.

“It’s not too far,” he’s explaining, fiddling with the blanket Castiel has placed over his lap on his couch in the library. The proximity of Dean’s fingers to his _leg_ is making him a bit flustered. “But it’s called a lake, I’m not sure if you have those? And we’ll take a canoe, I just kind of want to show you around, really. It’s pretty with all the trees and stuff.”

Castiel carefully lays his hand over Dean’s and smiles at him when Dean looks up. He wants to see anything Dean wants to show him.

Much later, when night has fallen, Dean rows their small _canoe_ around the _lake._ There is so much new-ness and yet so much familiarity in this moment with Dean. Castiel is caught between wanting to look at the scenery around him and wanting to stare at the muscles in Dean’s exposed forearms flexing with his movements. The more time he spends with Dean, the more certain Castiel becomes that he’s the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen.

He’s also becoming more certain that his emotions are changing, shifting. He’s truly falling for Dean Winchester, human prince, while he’s only pretending to be a human for one more day. What on earth has he done?

“Cas? You thinking about something?” Dean smiles at him in a very appealing way, with one half of his mouth quirked higher than the other. “You’ve got a particular look on your face, that’s all.” Dean’s silent for a moment longer. “I didn’t ask you that first day but I’ve been wondering something. You can’t talk right now, but could you before? Like, you used to be able to talk but something happened and now you can’t?”

Seeing no reason to lie to him, Castiel nods. He gestures to his throat, miming someone reaching in and ‘grabbing’ his voice and taking it away. Dean can’t really understand this, of course, but he looks sympathetic anyway.

“Cas, will you promise to tell me if there’s ever anything I can do to help you get your voice back?” Touched by Dean’s kindness, Castiel nods with a tear in his eye. He has no idea what will happen to him tomorrow but he’s glad to have met this beautiful, righteous man.

“Is there something on my face?” Dean is blushing again… Castiel must have been staring at him again. He wonders if Dean has been able to pick up on the way that Castiel’s feelings toward him have grown and changed, just over the course of the past two days. It’s twilight now; their time together has been very short in comparison to the years of courtship Castiel has observed for other couples. So then why are his feelings this ardent? Why does his heart beat loudly when he looks at Dean? When Dean speaks with him and trusts him and teaches him? They are in bizarre and truly remarkable circumstances, and yet Castiel finds himself to be quite assured of his feelings.

This doesn’t stop him from being startled when, in a moment of quiet between them, Dean stops rowing and lets the _oars,_ as he’d called them, rest to either side of the boat. He leans forward with a sweetly earnest expression on his face. When Dean licks his lips, Castiel is certain that Dean intends to kiss him. His heart speeds up at the thought, pleasantly surprised at how shy Dean is taking the initiative. Castiel mirrors Dean, leaning in and tilting his head slightly to the right. His eyes remain on Dean’s mouth, which is still coming closer. This is to be his first kiss, and—

All of a sudden, the boat lurches dangerously. Their hands fly out for balance but it’s no use. With a loud groan, the whole vessel tips completely over, dumping Dean and Cas into the water.

They pop back up sputtering and coughing. For all of Castiel’s experience with water, even he was caught off guard by their sudden swim. Dean is there immediately, moving the boat back to its upright position and helping Castiel climb back onto it. He manages to locate both _oars_ and gets them to shore quickly, the night air causing them to feel very cold. Stumbling across the shore to where Dean’s horses are waiting, neither one of them notices the swirl of dark magic blinking on the far side of the lake.


	4. Chapter 4

When Castiel wakes up the following morning, he has no idea what’s coming. It seems like an auspicious morning what with the birdsong and cloudless sky. Even Balthazar is in a good mood, especially with having avoided falling in the lake last night. He seems convinced that the water, given that it wasn’t ocean water, was unsanitary and unsafe for swimming, and he’d scolded Castiel a bit. Distracted with thoughts of their near-kiss, Castiel hardly notices.

He and Dean eat breakfast together again, with Dean sharing some ideas for what they might do together today while Castiel listens and gives input as best he can.

Dean decides that their first activity will be a walk in the garden. It isn’t very large, but the area is obviously well-maintained. There are different _flowers_ here from the ones that Castiel had seen the other day and he takes pleasure in Dean’s ability to name them for him and the peacefulness he feels watching small, flying animals flutter around them.

“Hey, Cas?” Dean sounds nervous and it makes Castiel feel as if there are small, flying animals fluttering inside his chest and stomach. “Can I show you something else?”

Castiel nods, but surely Dean understands he’s interested in seeing anything that Dean allows him to see? When Dean reaches for his hand, Castiel’s breath and heart stutter, a warmth spreading through his body at the intimacy. They’ve walked arm in arm previously but this feels new, somehow, for Dean to guide him outside by his hand.

Dean leads him to the furthest reaches of the garden. There’s a group of _trees_ here with their long arms extending to the ground, brushing the _grass_ with the tips of their fingers. Reaching forward, Dean pulls one to the side just enough to reveal a small inner world, a quiet sanctuary within this great feat of nature. Castiel’s experiences had always been under the water, of course, but he’s gained so much appreciation for the human world’s natural beauty, in its greens and golds and whispering winds.

They move under the _tree,_ toward the largest part of it at the center. Here, they can sit on the ground with their backs supported. Dean doesn’t let go of his hand and Castiel decides not to worry about the cleanliness of his _pants._

“This is where I come to think,” Dean finally says into the silence. “When it’s getting too much, when I need to be alone. Sometimes I just need to escape, not to run away, I just, I want to be on my own sometimes. To have space to think, I guess, and not worry about what someone else will say about what I’m thinking. I’m a prince and I’ll be their king but I’m still just a man. I still want to be my _own_ man. Does that even make sense?” Dean exhales harshly, his head resting on the _tree_ and blinking up at it.

Castiel knows _exactly_ what Dean is getting at: this is his grotto. When Castiel needed to be alone and to escape his father’s judgmental views, he hid there. Dean hides here. And he’s choosing to share it with Castiel now. So, Castiel squeezes Dean’s hand in both of his, brushes his fingers with his own, and waits for Dean to look at him.

When he does, Castiel examines his beautiful green eyes and he allows Dean to look back and to find the sincerity and emotion that Castiel feels inside. Dean doesn’t need to justify himself, explain himself, or change himself. He is, in Castiel opinion, a perfectly imperfect man. Flawed and beautiful and good, and deserving of all the goodness in this world. If this is where Dean comes to be safe, then Castiel wishes for him to find salvation here. When he looks at Dean, he sees the love he feels reflected.

“Thanks Cas,” Dean whispers, and it’s the last thing he says for a long time. In fact, it’s not long before Dean sleeps, his head drooping down to rest on Castiel’s shoulder. Castiel sees no reason not to join him in a peaceful mid-morning nap.

They’re both eager for lunch when they wake, but Dean insists that Castiel will feel better after a bath. Seeing as baths are arguably the most enjoyable human experience he’s had so far, he doesn’t disagree. Castiel luxuriates in the hot water, rubbing the soaps on his body and in his hair as well as just relaxing his muscles. His legs and rump are more prone to soreness than his tail had been.

Eventually, Castiel exits his bath and redresses before he goes to the dining room for lunch. He hopes that Dean will like his choice of a blue shirt and a black _vest,_ which he had seen Sam wearing yesterday and quite liked. Castiel enjoys his food alone for a while before he starts to wonder about Dean. What else could he be doing right now besides eating? They were both quite hungry, after all. Castiel lies to himself saying that it doesn’t matter that today is his third day on human legs, his third day with the sorcerer’s magic in place.

Unable to simply ask one of the servants who brings in the food and drinks, Castiel finishes eating and takes off on his own to find Dean. He doesn’t find Bobby in any of the older gentleman’s usual haunts, so he turns his attention to Sam.

Finally, he gets lucky and spots Sam’s head of long hair outside as he’s passing a window. Sam is standing in a smaller garden facing a couple whose backs are to the palace. Castiel is very surprised to realize that one of the men Sam is speaking to is _Dean,_ but there’s no mistaking the breadth of his shoulders, the glimpse of his profile, or, and oh, how Castiel feels shame to admit it, the curve of his backside for anyone else.

Castiel doesn’t recognize the man standing next to Dean. He’s also tall and has dark blonde hair. From here, Castiel can’t really make out the details of his face, but he’s well-dressed and has his left arm looped through Dean’s arm, his free hand resting on Dean’s bicep. It’s a position that Castiel has been in quite a few times over the past two days, and Castiel is certain that the man is looking at Dean with the same moonstruck gaze he had worn. Something acidic twists in his stomach, clutching at his heart and his throat. Who _is_ this man and what is Dean doing with him?

For his part, Sam looks very confused. He’s using his whole body to gesture, seemingly asking questions and finding the answers dissatisfactory.

Suddenly, Sam spots him watching over them. The subsequent gesture is much smaller, but still clearly indicating the window and most likely Castiel himself. What in the world are they talking about? The strange man turns to look up over his shoulder. When he and Castiel make eye contact, the man smiles. But Castiel is smart enough to notice that it isn’t a kind smile at all. No, it’s a cruel grin, twisting the man’s features in a pantomime of happiness. Dean doesn’t look up. Instead, the pair of them walk away through the garden, still arm in arm.

Castiel stands there for a while longer, just watching and puzzling over this turn of events, until Sam joins him.

“Cas,” he begins, “Cas, I don’t know how this happened.” When Castiel only looks at him blankly, Sam continues. “Dean’s brought this man here, Nick Monroe. He says he’s in love with him and they’re getting married tonight.”

A weight drops in Castiel’s stomach, filling him with a cold dread. Dean is…getting married? However selfish it may be, Castiel doesn’t feel joy at the announcement, only sadness.

“I told him that I thought he was crazy, asked him about where they met and how this has happened so quickly. Nothing he said makes sense, though. Riot tried to bite the guy and I’m really worried about Dean. I don’t know what to do.” Sam continues to fret, pacing a little and rambling about Dean and _Nick,_ but Castiel finds himself unable to participate in conversation even more than usual. He feels numb and a little stupid. He’d thought that Dean— Well. It certainly doesn’t matter anymore what he thought that Dean felt.

It’s hard to convince his heart that it doesn’t matter, not when this hurts so badly. Castiel hides from the ‘preparations’ in his room, Balthazar having heard the whole thing from within the folds of Castiel’s clothes.

Balthazar’s ranting, of course, and angry with Dean. How dare he this and mark his words that. But Castiel doesn’t listen, just sits and stares out the window and mopes, feeling absolutely numb.

He watches the humans run around the grounds, ostentatiously getting numerous things ready for Dean’s wedding. They’re carrying or having the horses carry things to a ship, which Castiel can just barely see is waiting in the bay. The ship that will carry Dean and his new husband to a lovely wedding and life together. Castiel feels sick.

Balthazar and Castiel watch as the group of humans boards the ship, Sam, Bobby, and Riot among them, with Dean and Nick at the head of the party. The pair stand at the railing to smile and wave at their well-wishers. Many people seem to have heard the announcement and are gathered to see their prince and his husband, although Balthazar points out that a great many of them seem to be staring at Nick in confusion.

The ship departs with all appropriate fanfare. Castiel watches Dean’s face, his heart a blubbering mess. Dean looks peaceful, serene, and, he supposes, happy. It’s just that Castiel got to see Dean beaming, grinning, and laughing so often these past few days that to see him so subdued is a little uncomfortable now. It makes him wary. But how cruel to look upon a so-called friend’s happiness and to feel doubt? Castiel should be happy for him.

And yet, Castiel recalls Sam’s confusion, the way he hadn’t been welcome to assist with the preparations, and the dread continues to blossom. The ship moves further into open water, the sun making her way toward the horizon. In less than an hour’s time, Castiel will discover what happens with the sorcerer’s magic wears off.

Then, suddenly, Gabriel appears in a flurry of feathers. He lands on the _windowsill,_ as Dean called it, with a great flap of his wings.

“Cassie! There you are! You’re never going to believe what I’ve seen.”

“Gabriel, we don’t have time for this,” Balthazar chastises him. “Castiel is heartbroken.” Castiel doesn’t bother to respond.

“But I think I can help,” Gabriel insists. “There’s something fishy going on here and I think it has to do with your magician.” Castiel focuses on Gabriel immediately and gestures for him to explain. “So, there I was on my island chatting with Samandriel, giving him the updates, the usual, when, all of a sudden, a human ship goes by and I can hear your voice! It was so clear even Samandriel heard. He misses you so we went over there and the plan was for me to stick my head in the window hole thing and get you to lean out and say hi, but it wasn’t you in there after all. It was some guy I’d never seen before but he was definitely slimy. And then! Oh, Balthazar, you would’ve crapped yourself if you’d been there.”

“Get to the point already.” Balthazar grits his teeth.

“The guy turns to the mirror he’s got in there and what do I see but a _different_ guy in the reflection! It was so weird, never seen that happen before, you know. I go back to the water and tell Samandriel. He asks what the dude looked like in the mirror and when I described him, Samandriel said he looks just the magician who gave you your legs.”

“And he would have your voice because he took it in exchange for your legs, Castiel.” Balthazar looks worried. “Gabriel’s probably right, and that’s the sorcerer disguising himself and— and marrying Dean at sundown! What are we going to do?”

Castiel is reeling from the revelation. Is this what the sorcerer was after all along? But how did the sea witch know about Dean? Had he known that Castiel knew Dean and that’s why he offered him human legs? The questions spin through his mind with no clear answers. One thing is certain, however, and that is that Castiel must stop the wedding.

He looks between Gabriel and Balthazar with a determined expression. He points out of the window at the ship and bobs his head in what he hopes his friends will understand as the beginnings of a plan.

“I agree.” He’s surprised when it’s Balthazar who speaks up, and that he sounds like he’s willing to go after Dean. “You want to go and stop the wedding, yes? It’s a good idea. After everything you’ve told me about Dean, the boy seems far too nice to be stuck with a deceitful illusionist. We don’t even know who he is, and now he’s playing at being a human? That can’t be good news.”

Gabriel shakes out his wings. “I can move the fastest, so I’ll go directly to the ship. Cause a distraction of some kind, you know, my usual mischief.”

“That sounds terrifying and it’s a good idea,” Balthazar replies. “I should go directly to King Michael. I know we were never going to involve him, Castiel, but if anyone’s life is in danger we need to inform him and to get his help.”

Castiel can’t argue with that logic. His father is the most powerful being in this region, and who knows what the sorcerer might do when confronted. If one thing is clear to Castiel, it’s that he needs to protect Dean with all the resources that he has.

“Cassie, can you use one of those little boats? That will get you to the ship eventually, we’ll figure out how to get you in on the action once you get there,” Gabriel reasons. Castiel knows from Dean where the _canoes_ and _oars_ are stored and he needs to move quickly. They have a wedding to interrupt.

Gabriel scoops Balthazar up and they depart through the window. Castiel rushes from his bedroom straight down to the pier, untying the first canoe he sees just like Dean did down at the lake yesterday. Was that really only last night? Castiel _cannot_ let something happen to Dean, not when there are so many things they haven’t been able to say to one another.

He sits in the boat and rows a couple of times, but he is already worried he won’t make it in time. Then, Samandriel appears.

“Hi, Castiel!” His best friend waves his fins eagerly. “What can I do to help?”

Castiel secures the rope around Samandriel’s body and together they move through the water toward the ship. They can see Gabriel calling for birds and other sea creatures to meet him at the ship and to start playing with the humans. Castiel feels incredibly grateful for his friends.

Finally reaching the ship, Castiel climbs up the ladder as he had watched Dean do so long ago. Castiel heaves himself up and over the railing, his arms burning and muscles protesting. He pants for air, looking around at the disarray that has fallen over the human’s wedding proceedings.

There is a garland of white flowers strung up against one wall and a man dressed all in black cowering against it. Several large seagulls are flying around and squawking, both at him and at the other guests. Dozens of humans are scattered across the length of the deck, engaged with a variety of other creatures such as lobsters, bluebirds, a pair of gangly flamingoes, an overeager starfish, and one very aggressive dolphin.

Riot is crying madly and jumping on Nick, trying to bite him like Sam had mentioned earlier. Castiel hasn’t seen Sam or Dean yet, but he moves toward Nick with purpose.

Before he can go more than two steps, Gabriel swoops in and pecks at Nick’s face. When Nick shrieks and covers himself with his hands, Riot jumps again and pulls on his long necklace until it breaks. The chain splits and causes the large shell charm on it to go flying. It all happens so quickly, the way that Nick screams in anger, the shattering impact against the deck, and the blue-white light that bursts forth from it.

Castiel feels the impact like a hard shove, momentarily losing his breath. His throat tingles unpleasantly and he feels a bit lightheaded. Then, the light clears away at once. For a moment, it seems like nothing has changed.

“Cas?” Sam’s voice alerts Castiel to his presence behind him and he turns quickly, only to find both Sam and Dean are standing there, the latter looking dazed.

 _“Dean.”_ The name falls from Castiel’s lips easily, though the sound of it quite obviously startles all of them.

“You— Your voice,” Dean says with a look of sheer wonder on his face. “It was you, always you.” Castiel has no idea what he means by that, he just takes a step forward as Dean walks closer. When Dean reaches him, he wraps his arms around Castiel without hesitation. “Cas, he tricked me. I wasn’t in my right mind.”

“The sorcerer,” Castiel says, reveling in his recovered ability to speak, “he did this to you.”

“Yeah.” Dean pulls back but he doesn’t take his eyes off of Castiel. “Yeah, I— I didn’t want to marry him, though. Your voice, it was— Something about it had me in a trance.” Castiel cups Dean’s face in his hands, worried beyond measure about this precious human. “I think he was using how I feel about you,” he confesses. “Dunno how he got your voice but he was going to— I was going to lose you. I can’t lose you.”

Castiel embraces Dean, pulling him into a tight hug. “You have me,” he says. “I’m here.”

“You came for me,” Dean says, his nose buried in the hair behind Castiel’s ear, his breath warm and his body tense. “Cas, tell me I’m not reading into this? Do you—? Have these feelings?”

Castiel smiles at Dean’s nervous stuttering, moving back just enough to face him. Dean bites his lip and Castiel is the one who leans in this time.

He doesn’t get a chance to finish what they’ve begun, to finally feel Dean’s lips against his. His body seizes, right there in Dean’s arms, with a stabbing pain in both of his legs. It’s all over his lower body below the waist. The pain is so intense that he can’t speak, just clutches at Dean.

Then, the pain stops. Castiel collapses on the deck, his legs gone and replaced by his tail. He stares at it, uncomprehending, terrified, before he lifts his face to where Dean is still standing over him.

Dean looks gobsmacked, confusion etched across all of his features. He kneels and hesitatingly reaches out to touch Castiel’s bare shoulder, his shirt now magically gone.

“I’m still me,” Castiel says, pleading, really. “I’m just…actually _me_ again.” His cheeks burn but Dean doesn’t flinch, simply looks at the whole of Castiel’s body.

Whatever Dean might have said in reply is lost to the sound of maniacal laughter. In their moments together, Castiel had forgotten to keep an eye on Nick. Looking over his shoulder, the façade of the man disappears in an instant, the sorcerer’s true form returning in the blink of an eye. The cecaelia is laughing and stalks toward them on his belly. Dean places his arms around Castiel protectively, but it’s no use.

“Time’s up, Castiel, you lose.” Without another word, he lunges at Castiel and drags him off the side of the ship and down into the sea.

Castiel fights in his hold, struggling to get away and back to Dean. But it’s no use, he knows, the spell was clear and the magic strong. Meg and Ruby are circling them now and he feels like an utter fool, tricked by strangers who pretended to be his friends.

“You didn’t quite manage it,” the sorcerer taunts him. “You were almost there, little merman. It’s too bad you lost, really I was rooting for you two.”

“You didn’t want to marry Dean?” Castiel wonders. The magician laughs cruelly.

“Silly boy, I couldn’t care less for that human heartthrob. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

Before they can swim another inch, Castiel hears his father shouting.

“Castiel! Lucifer!”

The cecaelia halts, his hand clenching around Castiel’s arm painfully. “Michael,” he replies with an evil grin. Castiel turns to look at his father with growing horror.

“Dad, watch out,” he cries.

“Oh no, Michael won’t try anything. He knows exactly what I’ll do to you if he makes one wrong move,” Lucifer jeers.

Michael’s hands grip his trident, pointed directly at this _Lucifer,_ but he doesn’t move. “Kidnapping my son, Lucifer? Deceiving him? How far you have fallen.”

“And whose fault is that?” Lucifer spits. “You banished your most powerful advisor and for what? Mediocrity?”

“How about peace in the seas?” Michael roars. “A chance for sea folk to live in harmony and without fear.”

“You naïve bastard,” Lucifer mocks, pulling Castiel to him. “And now you’ll pay for it. I’ve been watching your youngest for years, Michael, just waiting to spring my trap.”

“Lucifer, no,” Michael begs, “please don’t hurt my son.”

“Your _foolish child_ wanted to get away from you so _badly_ he was willing to be a human and I gave him the chance. He had a chance to win his freedom and he lost. He’s my slave now Michael and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Castiel feels his tears hot on his cheeks when he looks at his father. He never meant for any of this to happen. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I’m so sorry.”

Michael looks at him with so much love and pain in his eyes that it breaks Castiel’s heart. And then he speaks.

“Take me instead.”

“No!” Castiel shouts, but it’s too late. Michael has already begun to glow, Lucifer cackling madly. In an instant, his father is transformed into a tiny shrimp and Lucifer shoved Castiel away in order to reach the trident.

“Finally!” He smiles with all of his teeth and Castiel retreats in fear. “All of the power that I deserve, the power of the seas, nothing can stop me.”

“Cas!” It’s Dean, his beloved Dean, coming to the rescue now. Castiel can see him standing up in one of the row boats, directly above them. Dean dives into the water and heads straight for them, without regard for his own safety. Lucifer raises the trident and points it in his direction, ready to obliterate him. Castiel cannot allow that to happen, no matter how afraid he is.

He attacks with what strength he has left, pushing the trident in another direction. The blast of magic Lucifer had summoned for Dean winds up hitting Meg and Ruby.

Lucifer roars with rage, backhanding Castiel. This works in his favor, however, because it puts him out of Lucifer’s reach. So, Castiel swims quickly to Dean, grabbing the foolish human by the shoulders and heading for the surface.

Once there, he begs Dean to leave.

“I made a mistake,” he explains, “I made a deal with him. It’s all my fault. But I can’t let you die here, you have to go home.”

“What part of ‘I can’t lose you’ didn’t you understand?” Dean pants, spitting up water. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Castiel is torn between hitting and kissing Dean but he doesn’t get the chance to do either. Lucifer is using the power of the trident to grow exponentially in size. Within seconds, he’s twenty feet tall, cackling and towering over the terrified creatures in the lagoon, both human and not. Castiel and Dean are separated by the huge waves. Thunder and lightning crackle around Lucifer, the trident glowing harshly.

A whirlpool forms in the water in front of Lucifer; it’s obvious now that he intends to cause everyone harm for his own entertainment.

“You!” he shouts, pointing one enormous finger at Castiel. “You don’t get away that easily. Say goodbye to everyone that you love, they’ll all suffer for trying to help you.” Lucifer raises the trident up high above his head. Lightning strikes in the center of the whirlpool, illuminating what Castiel had previously not seen: shipwrecks. At least two of them are coming to the surface right now, their decrepit wooden forms appear haunted now that they’re back on the surface and in the light.

One of the ships, however, still has its prow and its wheel. All at once, Castiel sees that _Dean_ has climbed aboard and is maneuvering one of the long-forgotten shipwrecks around the circle of the whirlpool, aiming straight for Lucifer. Castiel cries out in fear, but there’s no stopping the momentum.

Just as Lucifer is aiming to strike Castiel, Dean manages to pierce his midsection with the jagged bowsprit of the ship. The world halts as Lucifer freezes, stunned, before he lets out a noise of pain. Finally, he explodes, a burst of magical energy emanating from his huge figure before his body is destroyed. As Castiel feared, the force of the blast flings Dean from the ship and renders him unconscious. He moves as fast as he can to keep Dean from going under, cradling his head above the surface.

The sky and the water settle, the stars reappearing in the semi-dark sky. And Castiel prays to every deity that he knows that Dean will be all right. Castiel carries him to the shore once again, a strange echo of their first meeting. He places Dean carefully on the sand just as the first rays of sunlight come up over the horizon.

“Castiel.” Surprised by the sound of his father’s voice, Castiel whips around. He lets out a cry of joy and throws himself into Michael’s arms.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Castiel says.

“Me too, I saw how you and your human were able to defeat Ursula. That was very brave.”

“I had to do something.” Castiel looks over his shoulder at where Dean is lying. “I just hope that he’ll be okay. I need to stay until he wakes up.”

“I think you should stay longer, if you wanted,” Michael replies. Castiel looks at him in shock. “I can see how much you love him. It’s not just the human world that you love, you’ve fallen for him. I’m so sorry that I didn’t see it sooner.”

“I… Yes,” Castiel admits. “And I believe that he loves me, too.”

“Oh, there’s no doubt in my mind about that.” Michael smiles at him. “We will miss you. I am sorry that I ever doubted you. Things will change if you leave us to live in the human world. But I have faith that you are capable enough to take care of yourself, and that your Dean will help you if you need it. But, I wanted to give you something.”

His father reveals a necklace, a line golden chain with a series of tiny shells attached. It glows in Michael’s hand before he hands it to Castiel. “I’ve enchanted this so that you may choose whether to wear your legs or your tail as you please.”

Castiel covers his mouth in shock, staring down at the necklace and then up at his father’s smiling face. “Really?”

“I only wish for your happiness,” Michael says. “With this, I know that you will visit us and that I will see you again. So, I am happy.”

“This will indeed make me very happy.” Castiel smiles at his father. “Being with Dean, living among the humans but still being connected to my home. That is all I’ve ever wanted.”

They hug tightly, Michael petting Castiel’s wild hair fondly.

“I love you, Castiel,” he says.

“I love you, too.”

And so, Castiel dons the necklace and walks out of the shallows and onto the shore. As he approaches Dean, he is gratified to discover that Dean is slowly waking. Castiel sits down next to him, grateful that whatever magic has helped him transform also provided some human clothing.

Dean only whoops for joy, sitting up and throwing his arms around Castiel. When he pulls back, Castiel can’t stop looking at him, overwhelmed with emotion.

“Hello, Dean.”

Before he can say another word, Dean kisses him, and it’s everything Castiel hoped it would be.

Human wedding traditions are a bit odd. There is quite a lot of preparation they need to do beforehand, and many people they need to talk to and meet. People travel from all over to give Dean gifts and warm wishes and to meet Castiel.

He’s a bit of a mystery still, but anyone can see how much he and Dean truly love one another.

One thing Castiel does appreciate is that they are able to spend time getting to know each other again, like before when he first arrived at the palace. But there is always a nagging in his mind that says this time it’s different, this time he knows that Dean loves him back and that they are courting now right before their marriage, strange and out of order though that may be.

Dean doesn’t mind it, and therefore Castiel doesn’t worry about it. Instead, he indulges Dean by telling him endless stories. Dean seems to be very interested in listening to Castiel’s voice.

The ceremony takes place on a ship at sunset in the lagoon where they met, between their kingdoms. The ship is a new design, with the deck kept intentionally low to the surface of the water, limiting the amount of storage under the deck but much of that’s been reallocated to two large rooms at each end of the ship. This way, the sea folk that make up Castiel’s family and friends will be able to observe their wedding ceremony as well as the humans who will sit in chairs on the deck. Dean is very proud of it and they’ll be taking it on its maiden voyage for their _honeymoon._ This is a tradition where newly mated pairs or, as the humans says, _newlyweds,_ take a trip by themselves. There must be something he doesn’t know yet because Dean tends to blush and change the subject whenever he thinks Sam is talking about the honeymoon too much. Maybe it has to do with the sexual intercourse that Castiel has done some research on. Human bodies are very strange, indeed.

When Dean and Castiel stand in front of the _priest,_ there are a few scripted lines for them to repeat. They wear rings of gold, which Castiel admires very much. Finally, they are prompted to kiss. Dean pulls him in close, pushing his hand through Castiel’s dark hair. His eyes are full of love and Castiel feels his heart thumping joyfully in his chest. They are surrounded by loved ones, both on the deck and in the water.

Castiel is a creature of the sea and he is learning to live on the land, but his true love’s kiss makes him feel as though he’s a bird, soaring through the blue sky.

This is his happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> Again please shower Paige's beautiful work in praise [here on tumblr](https://turnthepaige90.tumblr.com/post/185922379757/)
> 
> [fic on tumblr](https://profound-boning.tumblr.com/post/185970894644/)


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